MANILA, Philippines—Public satisfaction with high-ranking government officials has reached new highs, setting “personal best” records for the four topmost leaders, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.
The survey, conducted between Aug. 24 and 27, showed that the net satisfaction rating of Vice President Jejomar Binay remained “excellent” and even rose six points from plus 70 (79 percent satisfied, 9 percent dissatisfied) in May to plus 76 (82 percent satisfied, 6 percent dissatisfied) in August.
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile’s rating rose by 17 points, from a “good” of plus 48 (64 percent satisfied, 16 percent dissatisfied) last May to a “very good” plus 65 (73 percent satisfied, 8 percent dissatisfied) in August.
House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte’s net satisfaction rating improved by 12 points, from a “neutral” rating of plus 8 (36 percent satisfied, 28 percent dissatisfied) to a “moderate” plus 20 (40 percent satisfied, 20 percent dissatisfied) in the recent survey.
Neutral
Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio, who was Acting Chief Justice at the time of the survey, scored a “neutral” plus 3 (29 percent satisifed, 25 percent dissatisfied, correctly rounded).
The SWS considers net satisfaction ratings of plus 70 and above as “excellent”; plus 50 to plus 69, “very good”; plus 30 to plus 49, “good”; plus 10 to plus 29, “moderate”; plus 9 to minus 9, “neutral”; minus 10 to minus 29, “poor”; minus 30 to minus 49, “bad”; minus 50 to minus 69, “very bad”; and minus 70 and below, “execrable.”
The satisfaction rating of the Senate improved by 18 points from plus 49 to plus 67, while that of the House of Representatives rose by 12 points from plus 30 to plus 42.
Cabinet ratings
Cabinet satisfaction ratings improved by 14 points from plus 19 to plus 33.
The Supreme Court recorded the highest improvement in satisfaction ratings, rising by 22 points from plus 13 to plus 35.
The survey used face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults nationwide. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
The office of Vice President Jejomar Binay released a statement on Friday, saying that Binay’s score in the latest SWS survey was his “personal best,” being the highest since he assumed the vice presidency in 2010.
Binay credited President Aquino for trusting his leadership and placing under his charge the “critical offices” of housing and migrant workers’ welfare agencies, according to the press statement.
Grateful to Aquino
“I am grateful to President Noynoy Aquino for his continued trust in me and for including me in his Cabinet,” he said.
Binay’s rating rivaled scores that ousted President Joseph Estrada posted during the early years of his vice presidency, when his public satisfaction ratings registered in the high +70s and +80s between 1992 and 1994, according the SWS data.
Binay, a declared contender in the 2016 presidential elections, has consistently posted high public satisfaction ratings since 2010. With Tarra Quismundo