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Duterte's high ratings despite COVID-19 crisis an anomaly: political analyst

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/news/07/13/20200707-duterte-iatf-meeting-mnib-5.jpg"/><figcaption>President Rodrigo Duterte gives a speech, July 7, 2020. <em>Joey Dalumpines, presidential Photo</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte&#x27;s high approval rating despite criticism of his government&#x27;s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic is an anomaly, a political analyst said Tuesday.</p><p>Speaking to ANC&#x27;s &quot;Matters of Fact,&quot; La Salle University political science professor Antonio Contreras described President&#x27;s enduring popularity amid having the worst coronavirus outbreak in Southeast Asia as a phenomenon.</p><p>&quot;We are now in the top 20 of the worst affected countries in the world. We are the number 1 in Southeast Asia... but you have 91 percent, so therefore, you have to ask yourself, this is somewhat an anomaly,&quot; he said.</p><p>Duterte has garnered majority approval from the public while other world leaders have seen their ratings drop over their handling of the pandemic, Contreras said.</p><p>&quot;This is really a phenomenon. He&#x27;s the most popular leader of the world right now,&quot; he added.</p><p>As to how Duterte was able to maintain his approval ratings, Contreras noted that Filipinos &quot;tend to be charitable to leaders who are in crisis.&quot;</p><p>&quot;At moments like this, you have to stick with the family. I think that&#x27;s how many people see the President, as a fatherly symbol. They even call him Tatay Digong,&quot; he said.</p><p>Duterte also has a loyal political base &quot;who will see him in positive light no matter what,&quot; Contreras stressed.</p><p>He also cautioned that the results of survey were only derived depending on the questions asked to respondents.</p><p>&quot;If you&#x27;re asking people whether they approve the performance of the president, then that&#x27;s totally different from if they approve on specifics aspects of his job, in relation to the pandemic,&quot; he said.</p><p>Contreras also said there could be a possibility that choosing the respondents at random was &quot;not perfect.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Randomly selected sample can only reflect the sentiment of the entire population if every Filipino has equal chance of being drawn part of that 1,200,&quot; he said.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j1BpemCG1BI?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

<p>President Rodrigo Duterte's high approval rating despite criticism of his government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic is an anomaly, a political analyst said Tuesday.<br /> </p>

President Rodrigo Duterte's high approval rating despite criticism of his government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic is an anomaly, a political analyst said Tuesday.