Dip in trust rating for PNoy, top officials

Rappler.com

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

The President suffers the most significant decline in trust ratings from the poorest Filipinos

RATINGS DIP. President Benigno Aquino III suffers a decline in trust ratings in the latest Pulse Asia survey. File photo from Malacañang/PCOO

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATE) – President Benigno Aquino III suffered the steepest decline in nationwide trust ratings in a survey conducted during the climax of dismissed Chief Justice Renato Corona’s impeachment trial, pollster Pulse Asia reported Wednesday, June 6.

Pulse Asia’s respondents gave Mr Aquino a nationwide trust rating of 65% in the pollster’s Ulat ng Bayan survey for May, as compared to the 69% rating he got in a similar survey in March.

The 4-percentage-point decline in Aquino’s rating was the steepest among the Philippines’ 5 top national officials when the survey was conducted from May 20 to 26 among 1,200 respondents.

Vice President Jejomar Binay’s trust rating fell by two percentage points, while Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile’s and Speaker Feliciano Belmonte’s fell by one and 3 percentage points, respectively. Corona’s rating edged down by one percentage point.

All 5 officials also suffered declines in their performance ratings, with Mr Aquino’s going down to 67% in May from 70% in March.

Pulse Asia noted however that the ratings of the officials were “generally unchanged,” in light of the +/- 6 percentage points error margin.

Reacting to the survey results, Malacañang said the confidence of Filipinos in the President “remains strong.”

“The (performance rating), statistically unchanged from last quarter, is indicative of public support for President Aquino’s programs and initiatives, and is continued affirmation of his efforts to establish a culture of good governance in the public sector,” it said in a statement.

“No other president in recent history has sustained such high trust and performance ratings for so long into his term.”

The Pulse Asia survey was conducted as Filipinos anticipated and witnessed Corona’s first appearance in his impeachment trial on May 22. The other issues that preoccupied Filipinos before and during the survey period, according to the pollster, are the following: 

  • The Scarborough Shoal standoff between the Philippines and China;

  • Labor Day and the government’s rejection of workers’ calls for a P125 across-the-board pay increase;

  • the granting of a P30 increase in the daily wage of Metro Manila workers;

  • The passage of the “sin tax” bill at the House of Representatives and the Palace’s certification of the bill as urgent;

  • The continuing power crisis in Mindanao;

  • The cut in jeepney fares due to oil price rollbacks; and

  • The possible increase in meat prices due to the government’s plan to restrict meat importation.

Binay’s ratings the highest

In terms of ranking, Binay enjoyed the highest trust rating at 78%. However, this was slightly down from his March 2012 trust rating of 80%.

The President trailed him at 65%, followed by Enrile at 62%. Belmonte ranked fourth at 29%, while Corona occupied the lowest spot at 10%.  

In March, Enrile enjoyed a trust rating of 63%, while Belmonte got 32%. Corona’s rating was 11%.

Likewise, for the second time in a row, Binay upstaged Aquino as the best performing top official with an 81% approval rating.

With a nationwide rating of 67%, Aquino lagged behind Binay and Enrile, who had a performance rating of 68%.

Belmonte took the fourth spot with a performance rating of 37%, while Corona occupied the bottom with a 12% rating.

In a similar survey conducted in March, Binay also got the highest performance rating at 84%. Enrile occupied the second spot at 71%, while Aquino finished third at 70%. Corona’s rating was 14%.

Institutional view

Pulse Asia also surveyed the performance ratings of the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Supreme Court (SC) as a whole.

Based on the results, the Senate had the highest nationwide approval rating at 48%. The House ranked second at 45%, while respondents gave the SC the lowest approval rating at 44%.

In terms of trust ratings, the Senate enjoyed the highest approval rating at 44% while both the House and the SC had a rating of 41%. – Rappler.com

Click on the links below for related stories.

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!