Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin on bad survey results: Don’t be angry

Bersamin balks at criticisms that SC engages in 'judicial legislation'

Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin. INQUIRER file photo / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

MANILA, Philippines — What to do with bad survey results? Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin has this to say: “Don’t be angry.”

The Social Weather Station’s survey for the third quarter of 2019 showed that the Supreme Court’s net satisfaction rating went down to +41 from +54 last June.

On the other hand, Bersamin’s net satisfaction rating remains moderate at +16 in September from +13 last June.

“When you have a negative rating, we always look for the causes why we have had negative ratings,” Bersamin told reporters.

Bersamin said there is no point to be angry at surveys because “that’s everybody’s right to have a survey.”

He said the best deal with negative survey results is to deal with it head-on.

“When people tell you oh may muta ka, ah siyempre alisin mo yung muta diba? ‘Di naman pwedeng oh wala akong muta awayin mo na ngayon yan. Maghilamos ka muna. Di ba? Baka malaglag ‘yung muta (When people tell you that you have gunk in your eye, of course, you will remove it, right? You can’t get angry and deny it. You clean your face first because the gunk might fall off). That’s just putting it bluntly but that is in short what we do when we have negative publicity,” he said in jest. /je

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