PDP Laban hails public trust in its leaders

The ruling PDP Laban party celebrated the latest survey results of Social Weather Station (SWS) and Pulse Asia showing that its two top leaders, President and Party Chairman Rodrigo Duterte, and Senate President and Party President Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, continue to enjoy high trust and satisfaction ratings from the public.

The SWS said that the satisfaction ratings of Duterte is at 67%, while Pimentel's is at 60%, for net satisfaction ratings of +48 and +46, respectively, and Pulse Asia showed that the approval rating of the President is at 80%, while the Senate President's is at 55%.

"The survey results show continued strong support for PDP Laban's platform of Change from the Filipino people", said Energy Secretary and PDP Laban Vice Chair Alfonso "Al" Cusi.

Both surveys were conducted during the last week of September.

House Speaker and Party Secretary General Pantaleon "Bebot" Alvarez trailed behind Duterte and Pimentel, with 34% satisfaction rating in the SWS poll and 33% approval in the Pulse Asia survey.

However, Cusi is unfazed, saying, "The surveys show a third to a half of the respondents were undecided about Speaker Alvarez. I think this is due to the political noise centered in the House in the past couple of months. I am confident that he will bounce back as people start feeling Change happen in their lives."

Pimentel, who enjoyed a personal record high net satisfaction rating, said he was thankful for the results, but believed that it was a product of the hard work of the Senate and all the senators, instead of him personally.

The Senate President promised to work harder to repay the trust of the Filipino people.

PDP Laban, which commands a supermajority in the House, and also leads a majority coalition in the Senate, was swept into power on the back of popular support for Duterte and the Party's platform of Federalism and Change.

It has already made good on its promises to make tuition free, provide free wi-fi in public places, and extend the validity of passports and driver's licenses, through bills signed into law by Duterte in August of this year.

The Senate and House are currently tackling the budget and the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion, or TRAIN.The two measures are key to the Party's plan for equitable growth for the country.

Cusi said, "When I read the survey, the numbers told me we're on the right track, and we must push harder for genuine reforms. The Filipino people are waiting for us to fulfill our promises."