Wednesday 20 / August / 2025
Signs of what could be a rude awakening for Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte.
A new survey published on Sunday (October 8) showing trust in the iron-fisted leader fell 18 points in the third quarter, hitting its lowest level since he's been in power.
The poll didn't ask people to give a reason for their rating, but the timing is hard to ignore.
Just days before the survey, thousands of Filipinos rallied against Duterte, protesting his violent drugs war that's killed thousands of people and sparked what some see as the rise of a dictatorship.
Duterte has been accused of ordering police to execute drug suspects throughout the crackdown, a claim that he's repeatedly denied.
Overall though, support for the president is still ranked as "good", backed up by a cult-like following from millions of Filipinos who respect his authoritarian style.
Many still see him as the answer to the country's yawning gap between rich and poor, not to mention its streets, which are notoriously ridden with crime.
