A latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed that 65 percent or almost two-thirds of Filipinos believe that the health status of President Rodrigo Duterte is a matter of public interest.

In contrast, 32 percent of respondents said Duterte’s state of health is a private matter.

SWS said that the number of people who think that Duterte’s health is a public issue went up by four percentage points based on their September 17 to 20, 2020 surveys.  In December 2019, 61 percent of those surveyed by SWS said the President’s health status is a matter of public interest.

“The [SWS] September 17-20, 2020 National Mobile Phone Survey found 65 percent saying ‘Pres. Duterte’s state of health is a public matter that is why the public should be informed of everything about this’, compared to 32 percent saying “Pres. Duterte’s state of health is a private matter that is why the public does not need to be informed of everything about this,’” SWS said.

“The view that the President’s state of health is a public matter has always been dominant in the SWS surveys. The latest figure is 4 points above the 61 percent in December 2019 and September 2018,” it added.

The highest portion of people who believe Duterte’s state of health should be made public came from Visayas with 69 percent followed by Metro Manila at 65 percent, and Balance Luzon and Mindanao both with 64 percent.

The results of the SWS survey on whether the President’s health is a matter of public concern comes at a time when he has been absent largely from the public’s spotlight, fuelling speculation about his health condition.