By Darryl John Esguerra
MANILA – Malacañang on Monday said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. remains focused on governance despite a sharp decline in his trust and performance ratings, which it attributed to the spread of fake news targeting the administration.
In a press briefing, Palace Press Officer and Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said Marcos is not bothered by the results of the latest Pulse Asia survey, which showed a 17-percentage point drop in his performance rating — from 42 percent in February to 25 percent in March — and a 21-point increase in his disapproval rating, now at 53 percent.
“Hindi po nabahala ang pangulo sa anumang ratings o survey. Ang pangulo, kahit anuman ang rating — mataas o mababa — magpapatuloy siya sa kanyang trabaho (The President is not bothered by any ratings or survey. Whether high or low, he will continue his work),” Castro said.
“Hindi po siya mapapahinto ng anumang survey. Ang gagawin lang ng pangulo ay gumawa ng naaayon sa batas at magtrabaho ng tama (He will not be stopped by any survey. The President will simply do what is legal and work properly),” she added.
The Palace official also pointed to the proliferation of disinformation online as a factor behind the survey results.
She said the administration is actively addressing the issue, adding that the President met with Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) officials in Malacañang to tackle fake news and improve national connectivity.
“Sumasalamin din po ito sa impluwensiya ng mga fake news… Ang mga respondents bang ito ay nakakatanggap ng mga totoong news? O naiimpluwensiyahan ng fake news? (This also reflects the influence of fake news… Are these respondents receiving true news? Or are they being influenced by fake news?),” she said.
She added that the 2,400 respondents used in the survey do not represent the sentiment of the entire Philippines. (PNA)
