It is a puzzle that despite the failure of President Rodrigo Duterte to deliver most of his campaign promises, his irreverence to established institutions, including the Catholic Church, his unpatriotic surrender to China’s expansionism in the West Philippine Sea, his policy equivocation, and his anti-human rights record, he still enjoys a high popularity rating across classes in his second year in office.

The following reasons could be advanced to decipher the puzzle:

1. The electorate simply want to justify their choice, however errant it may have been;

2. The people like a leader who is authoritative even in his blunders and blabbering;

3. Duterte’s behavior appeals to the people’s notion of a "malaking tao” and speaking his mind is seen as a sign of being a “totoong tao”;

4. Duterte utilizes emotional appeal and taps into the collective frustrations of ordinary people by attacking institutions and groups that the general public feel have failed them, like the Catholic Church, the bureaucracy and the elite;

5. On his attacks on women, the popular support is a sad reflection of how stubbornly sexist our society is;

6. The worldwide “populist” movement has influenced Filipinos as Duterte projects a man-of-the-people messianic image to which the people latch on to;

7. Patronizing sectors of social media fiercely and irrationally supporting Duterte adversely influence public opinion; and

8. The surveys may have failed to accurately document the respondents’ sentiments or the questions asked are not properly framed.

EDCEL C. LAGMAN