MANILA – Filipinos have expressed satisfaction with the performance of President’s Rodrigo Duterte’s administration when it comes to handling the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, based on the “Global Crisis Perceptions” index released by insights firms Blackbox Research and Toluna.
The global poll, which was conducted from April 3 to 19, asked 12,500 adult respondents from 23 countries to rate their governments using four key indicators, which include national political leadership, corporate leadership, community, and media.
With an index score of 49, the Philippines ranked eighth in the list of 23 nations where citizens assessed their governments’ Covid-19 containment measures.
The survey showed that 45 percent of Filipinos rated “highly” the Duterte government’s efforts to combat Covid-19 while 37 percent also lauded the corporate leaders’ amid the health crisis in the country.
Thirty-six percent of Filipinos were also happy with the community’s help while 78 percent believed the national media has performed responsibly during the Covid-19 outbreak.
In a press statement, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the Palace is elated by the poll results.
“The Palace welcomes the results of the Toluna Blackbox showing Filipinos are satisfied with the country’s response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic,” he said.
Topping the list of countries with the highest approval scores are China (86), Vietnam (77), United Arab Emirates (59), India (59), Malaysia (58), New Zealand (56), and Taiwan (50).
This was followed by the Philippines (49), Indonesia (48), Singapore (48), South Africa (47), Australia (43), Germany (41), the United States (41), Mexico (37), United Kingdom (37), Iran (36), Italy (36), Thailand (36), and South Korea (31).
Countries that lagged behind were Hong Kong (27), France (26), and Japan (16).
Roque acknowledged that the government needs the help of the private sector, the media, and the community to stop the further spread of Covid-19.
“Fighting Covid-19 is indeed a collective effort, as the survey indicated. Government cannot do it alone and we are therefore grateful to the private sector, the media, and the community in general for demonstrating the true Filipino bayanihan (teamwork) spirit in this extraordinary situation,” he said.
As of Thursday, Covid-19 infections in the Philippines have climbed to 10,343.
Around 1,618 Covid-19 patients have already recovered, while 685 individuals have died due to the highly-contagious disease.
Roque called for public cooperation to ensure the successful fight against Covid-19.
“Let us continue to show our solidarity with our people and cooperation with authorities, so together, we can truly heal as one nation,” he said.
Duterte has placed high-risk areas, including Metro Manila, under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) until May 15 in an effort to curb the spread of Covid-19.
General community quarantine (GCQ), which is less stringent than ECQ, is imposed in low-risk and moderate-risk areas. (PNA)
