Duterte May Fail To Defeat COVID, But He Succeeded In Winning The Hearts Of The Philippine People

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (Source: pcoo.gov.ph)

JAKARTA - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's popularity ranking reached a record high. This was shown in the opinion poll released Monday, October 5. Duterte's popularity has not declined despite the COVID-19 crisis devastating the economy and causing millions of people to lose their jobs.

The survey was conducted by Pulse Asia last month, with direct interviews with 1,200 Filipino adults. The survey found 91 percent of respondents agreed with Duterte's appearance and personality. They were up from 87 percent and 83 percent in December 2019, respectively.

The Philippines has for years been among the fastest growing economies in the world, according to Reuters on Monday, October 5. The Philippines is expected to experience an economic contraction of 6.9 percent this year, the World Bank said. This figure is the largest since the 1980s and worse than the government's projection of a 5.5 percent decline.

Pulse Asia President Ronnie Holmes, said the extraordinary thumbs up for Duterte shows that the public only blames the impact of COVID-19 rather than the government's mishandling. The survey was conducted in and around the capital, Manila, where strict restrictions have been partially relaxed to try to revive business activities.

The Philippines leads Southeast Asia with the highest number of COVID-19 cases. The Philippines recorded 3,190 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, October 4, which was the biggest daily increase since September 21. The Health Ministry also reported a hundred more deaths due to COVID-19 infection, the country's highest daily record since September 14, bringing the death toll to 5,776. The total was 322,497 cases.

Duterte has previously promised a free vaccine, prioritizing the poor, then the middle class, then on to police and military personnel. Meanwhile, his opponents chided him for his authoritarian style and low tolerance for dissent. Yet Duterte remains hugely popular because he is judged as the man of the people and the perception of strong leadership and success in fighting crime and corruption.

Tourism is coming back to life

Reportedly, two of the most popular tourist destinations in the Philippines, including Boracay Beach, are partially reopening. However, it did attract only a fraction of the large crowd due to continued restrictions on COVID-19.

Philippine Tourism Minister Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said 35 local tourists, including seven from Manila, came on the first day of Boracay's reopening. Boracay is a central island known for its fine white sand, blue waters and stunning sunsets.

While there is an urgent need to revive the tourism industry, it is being done very slowly and carefully. He added that the mayor and governor must approve the reopening of tourist attractions.