Double-digit drops were seen in the trust and approval ratings of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte, as published by Pulse Asia. These numbers may have been normal for certain officials of past administrations, but for Marcos and Duterte, these figures could be unsettling.
We must be reminded that our top officials were elected by the majority of the voting public in a virtual landslide against their competition. Further, this steep decline was not realized by our previous populist president. Thus, this should be taken seriously by our leaders.
President Marcos Jr. downplayed the decline, saying he was “not surprised” by it. He correctly pointed out that among the reasons for the drop would be the government’s failure to lower the price of rice — a campaign promise often repeated. Another reason could be his concurrent holding of the Agriculture Secretary position, which is a delicate Cabinet post since it relates directly to bringing food to the table of every Filipino.
Rice matters in the Filipino household. The United States Department of Agriculture reported that the Philippines is now the world’s top rice importer, overtaking China.
According to its report titled “Grain: World Markets and Trade,” the USDA projected that the Philippines would reach 3.8 million metric tons of rice imports for the marketing year 2023-2024, compared to China’s decreased projection of 3.5 million MT.
This is a sad statistic, considering the Philippines used to be known as a leading rice producer, even the go-to country for our neighbors to learn about rice production. Our Banaue Rice Terraces is a heritage and tourist site that may very well belong in a museum since rice irrigation may be a thing of the past.
Food security was a campaign promise that should be endeavored to be achieved. There is no rice crisis because of the incessant importation of rice by prominent businessmen, but it has become difficult to encourage other investors to put their capital into rice farming.
The government should provide the answer by incentivizing farmers and businesses to invest in rice farming, but all this is easier said than done.
As for our Vice President, her ratings drop should be related to the controversial confidential and intelligence funds she defended heavily in the budget hearings. I cannot fathom a worthy explanation for why the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education should have P650 million in these funds without proper accounting and explanation.
As for the reported realignment of these funds by the House of Representatives to agencies tasked with the protection of our national sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea, we are still waiting to see if this will happen after it hurdles the Senate and is later signed by the President.
The ratings drop may be ignored, but it’s continuing cannot be risked. The ratings can be expected to rise, especially if the surveys are taken during the Christmas season when the Filipino nation becomes forgiving.
The leadership should take concrete action on how to cause an uptick, such as by providing concrete solutions to the promises made during the campaign. If something can be learned from former President Rodrigo Duterte, it would help to be very visible locally to show your genuine and sincere compassion and empathy for your countrymen.
But as I have written before, it is unfair to compare two leaders with varying styles. Let’s trust our President, and he has the privilege of time to make a huge turnaround.
For comments, email him at darren.dejesus@gmail.com.