President’s office hit by ratings decline – survey

MANILA, Philippines – For the fourth consecutive year, the Church remains the most trusted institution in the country, while the Office of the President suffered the worst decline in ratings, the 2015 Philippine Trust Index survey results showed.

The survey, presented on Thursday, October 22, in Makati City showed the opinion of 1,620 Filipino respondents from different socio-economic and educational backgrounds in urban and rural areas in the National Capital Region, North Luzon, South Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

The results showed the Church suffered a slight decline in ratings, with 73% of the general public and 68% of the informed public saying they trust it “very much.”

In 2014, the trust rating of the general public for the Church was at 75%.

The academe, like the Church, remained the second trusted institution but suffered a decline in trust levels, with 51% trust rating from the general public in 2014.

Media is the third most trusted institution with 32% from 33% general public trust in 2014.

‘Willingness to listen’

The survey showed that for Filipinos, communication remains at the heart of good leadership. This is true for both government and business leaders.

Filipinos, according to the survey, value “willingness to listen” as the most important quality of a leader.

“For government leaders, this trait is deemed most important by 17% of the general public. It is also important to both the general and informed publics that government leaders have strong political will and show genuine concern for the people,” the survey showed.

According to the survey, when the public was asked whether they believe that government leaders of today have the important qualities that Filipinos value in a leader, overall ratings were poor. 

Only 23% of the general public and 15% of the informed public believe that government leaders listen to their constituents’ feedback and opinions.  

Fewer Filipinos believe that government leaders today have strong political will and show genuine concern for the people, the survey showed. 

Informed public

The survey respondents identified as “informed public” are those adult Filipinos 25 to 65 years old; have completed at least 3 years of tertiary education; and have access at least twice a week to print, online, and broadcast media.

The survey data was gathered from July to August 2015.

The Philippine Trust Index, done annually, is a research instrument that the country’s top 100 corporations subscribe to. The results were presented by EON Incorporated, the local affiliate of Edelman (the international public relations firm) which has the “Trust Barometer,” an annual trust and credibility survey which EON’s Philippine Trust Index draws inspiration from.

Retaining their position as the Filipinos’ 3 least trusted institutions are the government, the non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the business sector. 

This year, the survey showed that the government regained the favor of Filipinos, overtaking the business sector and NGOs, with 12% of the general public saying to trust the government “very much.”

Meanwhile, both the business sector and NGOs lost favor among respondents as these institutions tie as the least trusted with only 9% of the general public claiming to “very much” trust either of the institutions. 

“The low trust in businesses and NGOs become more glaring when compared to the trust ratings given to the highest rated institution. There is a 64-percentage-point trust gap between the Church and the two lowest-rated institutions,” EON said in its survey.

Office of the President vs LGUs

The Office of the President suffered the largest loss of trust, declining by 13-percentage-points since the survey started in 2012.

But the House of Representatives is still the least trusted among the different government sub-institutions, while the local government units (LGUs) enjoy the highest trust ratings.

Meanwhile, the Senate is recovering the trust of respondents this 2015 after its steep loss between 2012 and 2014.

When asked to cite a specific government agency that they trust, 3 of 10 respondents said that they do not trust any.

“We haven’t changed. Our mission now is to turnaround the loss of our trust in our institution. We need a transformation,” former Interior Secretary Rafael Alunan III told the audience of the 2015 Philippine Trust Index survey briefing.

In 2014, “free of corruption” was named the most important trust driver. 

Peace and security

This year, the main driver of the Filipino’s trust in the government is its ability to ensure national peace and security. 

This is followed closely by “helps the poor address basic needs;” “improves the Philippine economy;” and “puts corrupt politicians to jail” – creating a mix of political, social, and economic considerations in building trust.

According to the survey, Filipinos largely believe that the government is unable to succeed in meeting these different criteria for trust.

Only 23% of the general public strongly agrees that the government is able to ensure peace and security; while only 22% agrees that the government helps the poor address their basic needs.

Filipinos, however, see disaster preparedness as the area where the government has achieved the most success. – Rappler.com