Filipinos don't agree with one of Rodrigo Duterte's main policies, but they still overwhelmingly trust him

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte took office nearly a year ago and has attracted criticism at home and abroad for his harsh rhetoric and his bloody crackdown on the country's drug trade.

But that criticism doesn't seem to have tempered the Philippine public's trust in Duterte.

A March survey found that 80% of Filipinos said they had "much trust" in their president, down only one percentage point from a survey conducted in December.

The trust polls, conducted by Social Weather Stations, have tracked Filipinos' faith in Duterte since December 2015, when he declared his presidential candidacy.

That first poll found him with a 47% trust rating, and his marks have declined only slightly from his peak 84% trust rating recorded in the days before his inauguration at the end of June 2016.

The most recent survey, in which 1,200 Filipinos were interviewed from March 25 to March 28, found 11% of respondents were undecided, while just 10% had "little trust" in the president. Duterte's +70 net trust rating falls into Social Weather Station's "excellent" category.

But Social Weather Station's survey gauges trust, not satisfaction, and other recent polls have revealed areas in which the Philippine public differs from their leader.

A Pulse Asia survey of 1,200 Filipinos conducted from March 15 to March 20 found that 79% of Filipinos trusted the US, while 75% trusted Japan and 69% and 53% trusted Australia and the UK, respectively. Those majorities spanned all geographic areas and socioeconomic strata.

Conversely, just 42% professed trust for Russia while only 37% said they trusted China. Sixty-three percent of those surveyed said they did not trust China, while 56% said the same of Russia.

That affection for Western countries and distrust for Russia and China is in line with previous surveys and contrasts with Duterte's repeated denunciations of the West — the US in particular — and his efforts to embrace Beijing and Moscow.

Part of Duterte's continued high ratings has to do with electoral timing. "E

The South China Sea could prove to be a flash point for Duterte's domestic popularity.

While Duterte's government has objected to some of China's actions there, one lawmaker has already started filing an impeachment complaint against the president over his "defeatist stance" on Beijing's presence in the area.

If the Philippine people come to see Duterte as conceding their country's maritime sovereignty in the South China Sea, he could suffer for it.

Duterte also inherited a strong economy that looks set for continued growth, hitting nearly 7% in each of the next three years. But his emphasis on economic reforms could spur resistance from the Philippine business community, and his hot-headedness and the fallout from his bloody anti-drug campaign have some worried about the counry's economic vitality.

Filipinos don't agree with one of Rodrigo Duterte's main policies, but they still overwhelmingly trust him

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