If you enjoy detective stories, chances are you’re familiar with Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express.” In this thrilling tale, a vile individual is found dead on a train, and everyone on board is acting suspiciously. As the detective investigates further, he begins to suspect that there may have been more than one murderer involved. Plot twist: it turns out that every single person on the train was involved in the murder.
This reminds me of a recent political event involving the President’s eldest son and the budget of the Vice President. The son boldly claimed that the tradition of their chamber is to give a free pass to presidents and vice presidents, and therefore, he would propose terminating the budget of the Vice President. Initially, I thought it was a slip of the tongue. But then, the October Surprise came: the results of the Pulse Asia survey showing a drop in approval ratings for both the President and the Vice President. The President’s numbers went from 80 percent in June 2023 to 65 percent in September 2023, a significant decrease of 15 percent. Similarly, the Vice President’s approval ratings went down from 84 percent to 73 percent, a decrease of 11 percent. What’s interesting is that this drastic drop occurred in just 14 months of their governance.
To put things into perspective, let’s compare this with former President Benigno Aquino III’s approval ratings during a similar timeframe. In August 2011, Aquino’s approval rating was 77 percent. By November 2011, after 16 months of governance, his numbers dropped to 72 percent, which is statistically insignificant. In the case of Vice President Binay, his approval ratings went from 85 percent in August 2011 to 83 percent in November 2011, a mere drop of 2 percent. The significant drop in the current President’s approval ratings suggests that his management of the economy is not up to par. Additionally, his frequent overseas trips have not resulted in substantial investments but only promises. The largest drop in his approval ratings was seen in Class E, where it plummeted by 29 points. This highlights the impact of kitchen table issues like the rice shortage, which the President has failed to address effectively as the agriculture secretary. It’s clear that he is not a Teflon president who can escape criticism easily. If he continues to neglect issues related to food and fails to develop a comprehensive long-term strategy, his approval ratings may solidify, giving ammunition to his disenchanted followers to criticize him on social media.
It’s worth noting that the decline in the Vice President’s approval ratings is unusual for someone who is typically shielded from the consequences of the President’s actions. However, this is not the case for Sara Duterte, who, despite being the education secretary, displayed a lack of knowledge regarding the purpose of confidential funds. She insisted that these funds could be used for other purposes, rather than what they were intended for, such as surveillance and security. Her persistence in using confidential funds despite questioning raised even more doubts. Unlike her father, whose confidential fund as the mayor of Davao City was approximately P144 million per year, her confidential fund increased from P293 million in 2017 (her first year) to P420 million in 2018, and finally settled at P460 million from 2019 to 2022. When she became Vice President, she requested P250 million in confidential funds in 2022 but only received P125 million. The Commission on Audit revealed that the VP’s office spent the amount in just 11 days, while it was noted that the reduced amount she received was larger than the combined intelligence budget of the Philippine Coast Guard over the past 11 years.
These revelations have raised eyebrows, although they haven’t seemed to faze her much. However, the same cannot be said for congressional opinion. Ako Bicol party list Rep. Elizaldy Co made a bold move, announcing that the House of Representatives would sacrifice the confidential and intelligence budgets requested by the Vice President. Instead, they would reallocate these funds to augment the budgets of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, the National Security Council, Philippine Coast Guard, and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. This decision was made due to “serious concerns” in the West Philippine Sea. The ruling coalition defended this reallocation, with prominent parties such as Lakas-CMD, National Unity Party, PDP-Laban, Nacionalista Party, Nationalist People’s Coalition, and the Party-List Coalition supporting it. The token parties, like Partido Federal and Hugpong ng Pagbabago, also showed unity in this matter. This move by the House of Representatives has sparked disappointment among the public, particularly in social classes ABCD, where there was a double-digit drop in approval ratings. Class E also saw a significant decline in approval, although it was a high single-digit drop. These numbers suggest that even the Vice President may not have the magic of Teflon.
However, there might be a silver lining to this situation. Historically, approval numbers tend to rise in December due to the festive Christmas season when the nation becomes more forgiving and loving toward those in power. Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again. Your subscription has been successful.
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