Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 3) — Polling firm Pulse Asia on Monday said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s promise to lower rice prices to ₱20 per kilogram contributed to the 15-point drop in his approval rating.

“Making a promise that you will reduce rice to about half of the price ceiling and then being unable to fulfill that promise might lead to more people withdrawing their appreciation,” Pulse Asia President Ronald Holmes told CNN Philippines’ The Final Word.

Holmes also said it would be “wise” for Marcos to relinquish his position as agricultural chief, given the soaring prices of basic commodities and other issues surrounding the agricultural sector.

“The president has many more responsibilities, taking on another portfolio would deflect the attention away from the more particular responsibility,” he added.

Pulse Asia revealed that Marcos and Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte suffered double-digit declines in their approval ratings following developments in the West Philippine Sea, rising commodity prices, and concerns surrounding confidential and intelligence funds.

Holmes said the president’s succeeding approval rating will largely depend on his actions over the next three months.

“We cannot say what will happen unless there are things that the government should be able to do in order to stabilize at least the prices of basic commodities –- more specifically rice,” he said.

Other top officials also decline

Holmes also described the survey results as “perplexing,” given that other top officials also saw significant drops in their approval ratings.

“All the leaders of the three branches of the government are being held accountable,” he said.

“Even the chief justice seems to be held accountable for whatever has been happening,” Holmes added, emphasizing that the chief justice is far from being directly involved in the issues cited in the survey.

Meanwhile, the drop in the approval ratings of Senate President Miguel Zubiri and House Speaker Martin Romualdez can be attributed to their alliance with Marcos, he noted.

Published Date: October 3, 2023