Satisfaction, Approval, Trust

IT’S mind boggling. The Social Weather Stations (SWS) came out with an 11 points drop in the satisfaction rating of Pres. Rodrigo Duterte. Two days after, Pulse Asia came out with a startling survey results that 88 percent of Filipinos gave an approval rating for the President and a Trust rating of 87 percent.

What’s really is the difference between “satisfaction” and “approval”. When you “trust” someone it goes with it your approval of what he does and that does not diminish even if you are not satisfied. But when the rating is as high as 88 on Approval and 87 for Trust we have a situation wherein while expectations are not all fulfilled or satisfied, Filipinos have an unprecedented confidence on Duterte because he delivers and in full accord of what he does. Maybe not all in two seasons of his Presidency.

For a President who is about to conclude his 2nd year in office, Duterte’s Approval and Trust ratings are phenomenal. These should deliver a strong message to the political oppositions and the cabal of ‘Oust Duterte” plotters to forget their adventurism. This argues against CBCP who, in Sundays message still continue to fool church goers into what they term as “uncertain times” in the country. Their pre-State of the Nation Address (SONA) attempts to denigrate the President will not wash.

The surveys of SWS and Pulse Asia were both conducted in June. This was the height of the oppositions tirade against the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law. Against the critics and the opposition’s posturing blaming TRAIN law for price increase of commodities, the results of the surveys reflect otherwise. Let’s face it, the tax exemption of the majority who earns PHP250,000.00 a month is no small issue. They employ the grand tomfoolery blaming the price of gasoline to TRAIN law and so with rice prices. But people are now well-informed. No one is exempted in this global crisis. Iran cut the production due to the US sanctions and Venezuela’s oil production is lmost nil on account of their internal political upheaval. Filipinos know that even the US is now contemplating to use their huge oil reserves to temper the price of oil in the world market. This, aside from its appeal to Saudi Arabia to increase oil production.

As if that is not enough, critics turn to the issue of inflation. But go to the malls, the public market, sari-sari stores and sidewalk vendors, people are buying. People eat out and queue in restaurants. Business activity was never as vibrant as now. Condo units in Davao are sold out as quickly as these are fully constructed. The economy is at all time high in Davao region hitting beyond 10 percent growth beating the national average.

What “uncertain times” the Catholic church is scaring the flock? People will never be satisfied. There is no limit to satiety. King Solomon was not contented with just one wife, he had hundreds and hundreds more of concubines. He was insatiable and God never approve his worldliness.

For a nation which has seen the worst in Aquino’s era, you cannot blame the people if they approve and trust Duterte’s campaign against drugs, crime syndicate, terrorism and corruption.

As the song goes, “we may not have all the things we want, but we have all the things we need”. That paraphrases the difference in “Satisfaction”, “Approval” and “Trust”.