Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte continued to see "big majority approval and trust ratings", a new independent survey showed on Friday.
A survey by Pulse Asia Research Inc. said most Filipinos or 83 percent 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 percent approval and trust ratings in the latest survey.
"Amidst various controversies involving him and his administration, most Filipinos (or 83 percent of those surveyed) remain appreciative of the work done by Duterte," it said.
Similarly, it added that a huge majority or 83 percent of those surveyed express trust in Duterte. On the other hand, the agency said Duterte only got a 5-percent disapproval and 4-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 percent of those surveyed in Mindanao approved Duterte and 92 percent 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.
More criticism rained on Duterte for approving the internment of the remains of former President Ferdinand Marcos in the Heroes' Cemetery last November, saying the ousted former Philippine leader does not deserve to be buried in that memorial cemetery.
Duterte's six-year term ends in 2022.
