PRESIDENT Benigno S. C. Aquino III’s satisfaction rating has returned to “very good” territory following a dip earlier this year, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) said in a new report.
The SWS’ Third Quarter Social Weather Survey found 70% of the respondents saying they were satisfied with Mr. Aquino’s performance, up from 64% in June. Those who said otherwise accounted for 14%, an improvement from 18% previously.
The results from the Sept. 4-7 poll allowed the president to post a 10-point gain in his net satisfaction rating, to a “very good” +56 (% satisfied minus % dissatisfied) from June’s “good” +46.
The SWS classifies net satisfaction scores of +70 and above as “excellent”; +50 to +69, “very good”; +30 to +49, “good”; +10 to +29, “moderate”, +9 to -9, “neutral”; -10 to -29, “poor”; -30 to -49, “bad”; -50 to -69, “very bad”; -70 and below, “execrable.”
Malacañang welcomed the improvement, crediting it to the administration’s continued focus on Mr. Aquino’s pledge to combat corruption and poverty.
Political analysts, meanwhile, claimed the latest numbers could be attributed to continued belief in the Aquino “brand,” which needs to be supported by concrete results given current concerns such as high fuel prices.
Mr. Aquino’s political capital increased significantly in Balance Luzon, where his net satisfaction rating rose by 22 points to a “very good” +63 (74% satisfied, 10% dissatisfied) from the previous quarter’s “good” +41 (60% satisfied, 19% dissatisfied).
He maintained “very good” scores in the Visayas and Mindanao, gaining by a single percentage point to +52 (70% satisfied, 18% dissatisfied) and +55 (68% satisfied, 14% dissatisfied), respectively.
A two-point drop was recorded in Metro Manila but the result stayed “good” at +41 (61% satisfied, 20% dissatisfied).
Improvements to “very good” scores, meanwhile, were recorded in both rural and urban areas: it was at +64 (75% satisfied, 11% dissatisfied) in the former from +47 (65% satisfied, 18% dissatisfied), and at +50 (66% satisfied, 16% dissatisfied) in the latter from +45 (63% satisfied, 18% dissatisfied).
Mr. Aquino recorded “very good” scores across all socioeconomic classes, led by a 14-point gain among the masa (D), where his net score rose to a “very good” +58 (72% satisfied, 14% dissatisfied) from +44 (63% satisfied, 19% dissatisfied) in June.
It was four points higher at +52 (66% satisfied, 13% dissatisfied) among the class E and — despite a five-point drop — stayed “very good” at +53 (69% satisfied, 16% dissatisfied) among the class ABC.
Improvements to “very good” were also recorded among both sexes: Mr. Aquino’s score rose to +58 (71% satisfied, 13% dissatisfied) among women from +43 (62% satisfied, 19% dissatisfied) three months earlier, and hit +54 (69% satisfied, 15% dissatisfied) among men from +49 (67% satisfied, 17% dissatisfied).
Commenting on the ratings report, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said, “The people’s response reflects the fact that the president’s message of curbing corruption and poverty alleviation is getting across.”
Mr. Lacierda said the Aquino administration was “grateful to the Filipino people for its abiding trust in the government as manifested” in what he called a “survey snapshot.”
“While much remains to be done, the President remains focused and committed to fulfilling his social contract with his boss,” he added, referring to Filipinos.
Sec. Ramon A. Carandang of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office, meanwhile, said the higher ratings were due to “how the president has been consistent in doing what he says he has to do to mitigate poverty and eradicate corruption.”
As to whether issues of the moment such as higher transport costs will bring down the numbers, Mr. Carandang said: “I would not hazard a guess as to what might bring it down. I hope they will stay up, not make a prediction that it will stay up. We can only do our best.”
Edmund Tayao, political analyst at the University of Sto. Tomas and executive director of the Local Government Development Foundation, said the Aquino administration continued to enjoy goodwill given programs such as the conditional cash transfers (CCT).
“The anti-poverty work of the government is somehow reaching more people, and the CCT is focused on the countryside,” he said.
Mr. Tayao claimed the “Aquino brand” was still favored — more so after the State of the Nation Address in July which “was received warmly by many people” — but added that a segment of the population was still on the fence.
“The ABC classes and those who reside in Metro Manila with access to up-to-date information, you don’t expect them to just readily accept everything they hear, so unless they see something concrete, there is still a wait-and-see attitude,” he said.
Benito O. Lim, political analyst at the Ateneo de Manila University, said current concerns could pull down Mr. Aquino’s numbers.
“The high prices of energy and of transportation — at that time [of the survey], they had not raised transport fare yet or raised the toll fee — and the effect will be that people will suffer, and very likely they will not take a kind view of their suffering,” Mr. Lim said.
He credited Mr. Aquino with demonstrating that he was addressing current issues, but “whether he will do it right remains to be seen.”
Mr. Aquino, said Mr. Lim, can also be acknowledged as having a “good foreign policy track,” noting favorable results from recent trips to China and a just-concluded US jaunt.
The latest SWS survey involved face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adult Filipinos nationwide. The sampling error margins were ±3% for national and ±6% for area percentages.
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By: JPDP
Source: Business World, Sept. 25, 2011
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