MANILA, Philippines ? President Macapagal-Arroyo?s popularity has gone down further over the past three months, with three of every five people saying they were dissatisfied with her performance, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

The SWS 3rd Quarter 2009 survey, conducted from Sept. 18 to 21 and released yesterday, found that 62 percent of the 1,800 respondents polled were dissatisfied with Ms Arroyo?s performance, while 23 percent were satisfied.

This gave her a rounded net rating of minus 38 (percent satisfied minus percent dissatisfied), which SWS classified as ?bad.?

The President had a net rating of minus 31 in the last SWS poll in June, but her worst performance was the minus 50 in July 2008.

?The President?s overall satisfaction rating fell due to worsening dissatisfaction in the rest of Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao, and continued high dissatisfaction in Metro Manila,? SWS said.

Malacañang downplayed the sharp fall in the President?s public satisfaction ratings and blamed the media in part for the public?s poor perception of Ms Arroyo.

?She is concerned with governance and performance, and not with popularity,?? said Gary Olivar, the presidential economic spokesperson.

?By media, I don?t necessarily mean the folks in the room. They are the people who write the headlines, editors, and particularly those who write columns in your newspapers. These are major influences, and this is out of our control,?? he said.

He said the media also ?influences the timing of the surveys.??

Olivar noted that the survey was conducted at a time when the President?s expensive dinners abroad were hitting the headlines.

He said the fact that the people were mourning the late President Corazon Aquino then was also a factor.

Olivar believes the ratings would be reversed if the people were to be polled about the government?s relief operations in the aftermath of Tropical Storm ?Ondoy.?

?If a survey were to be taken now, maybe a little after the dust has settled, I think we will see a positive impact of what happened,?? he said.

In Luzon outside Metro Manila, Ms Arroyo?s net satisfaction rating fell by 13 points, to minus 45 (19 percent satisfied, 64 percent dissatisfied), from minus 32 (23 percent satisfied, 55 percent dissatisfied) in June.

In Mindanao, it worsened by six points to a minus 27 (30 percent satisfied, 57 percent dissatisfied) from minus 21 (31 percent satisfied, 53 dissatisfied).

It dropped by four points in the Visayas to minus 32 (26 percent satisfied, 58 percent dissatisfied) from minus 28 (30 percent satisfied, 57 percent dissatisfied).

In Metro Manila, Ms Arroyo?s net satisfaction rating remained at minus 46, with 21 percent satisfied and 66 percent dissatisfied in September, the same as the minus 46 rating (19 percent satisfied, 65 percent dissatisfied) posted in June.

Urban net satisfaction fell by 7 points (minus 44 from minus 37), while rural net satisfaction fell by 18 points (minus 34 from minus 23).

By socioeconomic class, Ms Arroyo?s net satisfaction rating declined by a whopping 26 points in Classes ABC, pulling her net satisfaction down to a ?very bad? minus 54 (17 percent satisfied, 70 percent dissatisfied) from minus 28 (27 percent satisfied, 55 percent dissatisfied) in June.

Dissatisfaction also intensified in Class E, the very poor, with Ms Arroyo?s net satisfaction rating falling by 12 points to minus 34 (26 percent satisfied, 60 percent dissatisfied) from a minus 22 (30 percent satisfied, 52 percent dissatisfied).

In Class D, her rating fell by five points to a minus 39 (23 percent satisfied, 62 percent dissatisfied) from a minus 34 (24 percent satisfied, 58 percent dissatisfied) before.

Men and women were equally dissatisfied with Ms Arroyo. Among women, her net satisfaction rating fell 11 points, minus 37 from minus 26, while net satisfaction among men fell by four points to minus 39 from minus 35. TJ Burgonio and Eliza Victoria, Inquirer Research