Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s approval rating has dropped to the lowest level in his 16 months in office, as poorer Filipinos who helped him to power and those outside of his home region of Mindanao grow disillusioned with his leadership.
Mr Duterte was elected in May 2016 on a wave of support for his hardline approach to crime. Until recently he had appeared immune to criticism of the brutal war on drugs that followed his election, but the new numbers suggest his honeymoon period may be coming to an end.
Mr Duterte’s net satisfaction rating fell 18 points to 48, according to a nationwide survey conducted by pollster Social Weather Stations in late September and released at the weekend. The score, calculated by subtracting the percentage of dissatisfied respondents from those who were satisfied, is still considered “good” by SWS standards.