Philippines’ Marcos Rating Dips as Most Buck Inflation Moves

(Bloomberg) -- Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s approval rating dipped last month as majority of the public disapproved of his government’s handling of inflation, according to a survey by Pulse Asia Research Inc.

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Marcos still maintained majority approval rating at 78% in March, but that’s lower than the 82% he got at the pollster’s previous survey in November. His rating fell the most among those polled in metropolitan Manila and among the upper and middle classes.

The survey, conducted on 1,200 adults from March 15 to 19, showed that 52% disapproved of how his administration is controlling inflation, an issue considered urgent by respondents that requires immediate government attention, Pulse Asia said. That compared to a 54% disapproval rating in November.

Philippines Sees End to Rate Hikes If Inflation Stays Low

Overall inflation cooled to the slowest in six months in March, after hitting a fresh 14-year high in January. Easing inflation gives the central bank room to ease up on its most aggressive monetary tightening in two decades, while it consistently calls for non-monetary moves to address price gains.

Marcos’s government has vowed to tame inflation by boosting farm output and speeding up release of food imports.

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