PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is set to mark his third year in office with declining trust and approval ratings, a trend that a UST political analyst attributed to the dissolution of his “UniTeam” alliance with Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio and a weak public presence.
Marcos Jr., who will deliver his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, was ranked as the second least-trusted top government official in June, according to a Pulse Asia survey.
His distrust rating rose to 21 percent in June from 15 percent in March, second only to his unpopular cousin, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, who had a 23 percent distrust rating.
Conversely, trust in Marcos Jr. decreased to 52 percent from 57 percent. Confidence in the president was particularly low in Mindanao, where he had a trust score of only 35 percent.
Assoc. Prof. Dennis Coronacion of the UST Department of Political Science identified two factors behind these declining ratings: his rift with Duterte-Carpio and the president’s limited public presence.
“[S]imula noong nag-split ‘yong dalawa, bumagsak ‘yong support…’yong ratings ng pangulo sa Mindanao region,” Coronacion told the Varsitarian. “[M]akikita mo dun ‘yung impact ng paghihiwalay nu’ng dalawang political leaders, na nawala ‘yong suporta coming from Mindanao.”
Tensions between Marcos Jr. and Duterte-Carpio further escalated in June when the vice president resigned as education secretary, a position she had held since her election in 2022.
Despite this split influencing Marcos Jr.’s ratings, Coronacion said it would not significantly affect the president’s political coalition, as he still held congressional support.
Coronacion also noted that Marcos Jr. had shown a weaker public and online presence. During the 2022 campaign period, Marcos Jr. capitalized on what political analysts described as a “personality-oriented” electorate by avoiding presidential forums and debates.
However, this strategy might be detrimental now that Marcos Jr. is president, as it has left people unaware of his accomplishments.
“People are not aware of his accomplishments,” Coronacion said. “So kung aasa lang siya sa SONA, I think patuloy na babagsak (ratings) kasi bihira lang naman ‘yung SONA…and not everyone is watching it.”
“He’s just been so silent that the people are not aware of what he has been doing. We’re not saying that he should engage in propaganda, [but] he should report everything that he has done, especially on issues that are very close to the public.”
‘Budol’?
Ahead of the president’s SONA on Monday, political groups led by the Duterte-backed coalition “Hakbang ng Maisug” staged a “People’s SONA” in Manila on July 20, which featured talks by several resigned officials of the Marcos Jr. administration.
Among the speakers were Vic Rodriguez, a former aide of Marcos Jr. who had served as his executive secretary, and Trixie Angeles, a pro-Duterte vlogger who had been his press secretary.
In an interview with the Varsitarian, Rodriguez, who resigned from the Marcos Jr. administration just months after his appointment, attributed the decline in the president’s trust ratings to his failure to fulfill promises made to Filipino voters.
“Bababa pa ‘yan, mauubos ‘yan,” he said, referring the Marcos Jr.’s trust and approval ratings. “Kasi ang mga tao noong siya ay hinahalal–and I’m very much part of his journey–hindi inosenteng boto ‘yun. May kalakip doon na pag-asa…kabaliktaran ang nangyari.”
“Akala mo lang nabudol mo ang sambayanang Filipino—hindi. Sinisingil ka na ngayon at wala ka nang maipakita.”
Rodriguez also criticized Marcos Jr. for “wasting” his first two years in office with frequent trips abroad and organizing social activities in Malacañang.
“Wala nang tagumpay ang administrasyon ni Marcos. You are only elected for a term of six years, sinayang mo ‘yung dalawang taon mo,” he said.
Marcos Jr.’s SONA on Monday will be his first after the widely publicized rift between him and Durerte-Carpio, who said she had appointed herself as the “designated survivor” and would not attend the address this year. Janica Kate J. Buan with reports from Fernando Pierre Marcel B. Dela Cruz, Ella Mae A. Sison and Kaela Patricia B. Gabriel
