Philippines' Duterte continues to see high trust rating

A survey by Pulse Asia Research Inc said most Filipinos or 83 per cent of the 1,200 Filipinos surveyed in December last year "remain appreciative" of the work that Duterte has so far done since he assumed office on June 30.

"Duterte continues to enjoy big majority approval and trust rating in December 2016, while public assessment of Duterte's performance and trust ratings remain unchanged between September and December 2016," the polling agency said in its report, adding that Duterte got 83 per cent approval and trust ratings in the latest survey.

Similarly, it added that a huge majority or 83 per cent of those surveyed express trust in Duterte. On the other hand, the agency said Duterte only got a five-percent disapproval and four-percent distrust ratings.

The nationwide survey of 1,200 Filipinos was conducted from Dec 6 to Dec 11 last year.

Across geographic areas and socio-economic classes, the agency said people from Mindanao "are most inclined to approve and trust Duterte. It said that 91 per cent of those surveyed in Mindanao approved Duterte and 92 per cent trust Duterte.

Duterte, 71, is from Davao in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, where he has been the city mayor for more than 22 years before he became Philippine's president.

Duterte won by a landslide in the May 2016 elections. His war on drugs, which has so far killed more than 6,000, and his outbursts against the United States, the United Nations and the European Union, have earned him sharp criticisms from some sectors.