Ninety-one percent, or nine out of 10 Filipinos, trust President Duterte, according to a recent survey conducted by Pulse Asia. The survey firm said practically no one (0.2 percent) distrusts the new Chief Executive.
The nationwide survey was conducted from July 2 to 8, or just a few days after President Duterte took his oath of office, with 1,200 respondents.
A separate survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) from June 24 to 27 found 84 percent of the 1,200 respondents with “much trust,” 11 percent “undecided” and 5 percent with “little trust” in Mr. Duterte. This gives the President a net trust rating of +79 (“much trust” minus “little trust”), which is classified by SWS as “excellent.”
President Duterte received excellent ratings among the country’s three major geographical areas, in urban and rural areas, among all socioeconomic classes, among men and women, in all age groups and across all education levels, according to SWS.
Based on the results of the surveys, which were conducted before and after the President’s oath-taking on June 30, I think what the people are saying is that “so far, so good.” The results of the surveys are also an indication that the previous government leaders underestimated the desire of the people, which is that the government should be expeditious in addressing the nation’s problems. So far, the people like what President Duterte is doing to solve persistent problems, like drugs and criminality.
The executives of the new administration must take a hint from the criticisms against the previous administration for being “slow” to act on the nation’s problems.
They must be reminded that one of the reasons Mr. Duterte was elected by more than 16 million voters was because he was perceived to be a man of action. It was also an expression of the people’s anger, or at least frustration and disappointment, with the slowness of the previous administration.
One persistent criticism against the previous administration was its underspending on infrastructure, which was blamed for the economy’s slow growth, such as the lower-than-expected 5.8-percent increase in the country’s GDP in 2015.
The previous administration’s priority was in improving the government’s financial condition, which was not bad, as it helped gain investment-grade ratings from international rating agencies.
However, while the government’s financial condition improved, the economy suffered because of under-spending. The country continues to lag behind its peers in Southeast Asia in terms of infrastructure development.
The negative consequences extend even to the daily lives of Filipinos. Just look at the worsening traffic congestion in Metro Manila, which reflects the inadequate transport infrastructure.
I have always believed the Philippine economy should be growing by as high as 7 percent a year, were it not for the government’s higher emphasis on fiscal restraint over growth.
Even the recent mission from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agrees with my position. In a statement early this month, the 2016 Article IV Mission to the Philippines said “the Philippine economy has performed well, but there is scope to do even better.”
The IMF mission said increasing infrastructure spending would enable the Philippine economy to grow by 7 percent to 8 percent a year. “This additional effort scenario would make the Philippines one of the fastest-growing (if not the fastest) economies in the world and help reduce poverty toward the government’s ambitious target,” the mission said.
Based on my personal observations, I think the Duterte administration is responding to the challenges very quickly. Its new economic team is looking at, among other measures, raising the deficit ceiling to 3 percent of GDP, from 2 percent under the previous administration. This will allow the government to funnel more resources to infrastructure.
Hopefully, we can make up for lost time not only on infrastructure but also in other areas, such as education, health care and other essential services.
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