MANILA - (2nd UPDATE) Public satisfaction with the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte generally remained "very good" but saw a decline in several issues like territorial defense, crime eradication and job creation, according to an opinion survey released Wednesday.

The administration scored a net satisfaction rating of +66 in Social Weather Stations' survey of 1,200 respondents from March 25 to 28. The score, which was 5 points up from December's +61, qualifies as "very good," the second highest in the SWS scale.

Net satisfaction is the difference between the satisfaction and dissatisfaction scores. In the most recent survey, 75 percent said they were satisfied with the President, 9 percent were dissatisfied and 16 percent were undecided.

The Duterte administration however obtained a "very good" rating in only 1 subject out of the 15 performance issues covered by the SWS Governance Report Card.

In 2016, the national government logged a "very good" rating in 6 subjects.

The administration retained "very good" scores in "helping the poor" at +63, although this was down 3 points from the previous +66.

Net ratings were "good" in:

- Developing science and technology, +49;
- Fighting terrorism,+47;
- Defending the country’s territorial rights, +46;
- Providing jobs, +43;
- Fighting crime, +41;

- Eradicating graft and corruption, +39;
- Solving the problem of extrajudicial killings, +37;
- Reconciliation with communist rebels, +32;
- Foreign relations, +46; and
- Reconciliation with Muslim rebels, +33.

The government got "moderate" scores in ensuring that no family will ever be hungry; fighting inflation; recovering the
alleged "hidden wealth" of the Marcos family; and resolving the traffic problem.

The same survey showed the administration’s net satisfaction ratings remained "excellent" in Duterte's stronghold in Mindanao, at +79, hardly moving from the +78 recorded in December.

Net scores stayed "very good" elsewhere: +67 in the Visayas, +62 in Metro Manila, and +60 in "Balance Luzon."

Scores for these area edged up by 9, 9 and 4 percentage points from the December ratings, respectively.

The government's satisfaction ratings also stayed "very good" across socioeconomic classes: +69 among the poorest class E; +61 among the richest class ABC; and +66 in class D or the "masa."

Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the result of the latest SWS survey shows the "significant gains of the Duterte administration have started to be felt by our people."

"President Duterte continues to work hard for a progressive and inclusive nation where there is a trustworthy government, long-lasting peace and prosperity for all," he added.

First published on BusinessWorld, the survey has sampling error margins of ±3 percent at the national level, ±4 for "Balance Luzon", and ±6 points each for Metro Manila, the Visayas and Mindanao.