Aquino ratings soar, says survey

President Benigno Aquino III. AP FILE PHOTO

President Benigno Aquino’s approval and trust ratings improved by double digits across almost all areas and classes, according to an Aug. 31-Sept. 7 survey by Pulse Asia.

According to Pulse Asia, Mr. Aquino registered an approval rating of 78 percent in September, up by 11 percentage points from 67 percent in the previous quarter.

His trust rating also stood at 78 percent, an increase of 13 points from 65 percent last May.

The President’s most recent approval and trust ratings “nearly approximate his very first presidential ratings recorded back in October 2010 which are at 79 percent and 80 percent, respectively,” Pulse Asia said in a press statement.

Mr. Aquino made double-digit gains in approval ratings in Metro Manila (from 57 percent in May to 75 percent in September), the Visayas (from 69 percent to 80 percent), and Mindanao (from 66 percent to 79 percent).

Low disapproval

Disapproval of his performance eased in Metro Manila by 7 points, from 12 percent in May to 5 percent this September.

Balance Luzon was the only area that registered single-digit improvement for Mr. Aquino. His approval rating improved by 8 points in Balance Luzon (from 69 percent to 77 percent) while his trust rating increased by 9 points (from 68 percent to 77 percent).

Mr. Aquino’s trust rating in Metro Manila went up 12 points, from 59 percent to 71 percent, while his distrust rating declined 10 percentage points from, 14 percent to 4 percent.

His trust ratings went up by 15 points in the Visayas (from 65 percent to 80 percent) and 16 points in Mindanao (from 64 percent to 80 percent).

Across all classes

The President got single-digit disapproval and distrust ratings across all geographic areas and classes.

Among socioeconomic classes, the poorest Class E gave the President the highest approval and trust ratings of 83 percent and 86 percent, respectively.

Class ABC gave Mr. Aquino approval and trust ratings of 72 percent and 77 percent, respectively, and Class D gave him both 76 percent and 75 percent, respectively, the survey showed.

Respondents were asked to express approval, disapproval or indecision on the President’s performance on 12 selected national concerns.

The results showed that the Aquino administration’s approval ratings were  highest on issues of fighting criminality (66 percent), fighting graft and corruption (64 percent), law enforcement (59 percent), improving the national peace situation (57 percent), creating more jobs (51 percent), and increasing the pay of workers (51 percent).

The administration’s approval ratings registered the lowest on issues of controlling inflation and poverty reduction (both at 39 percent). Controlling inflation is considered by 56 percent of the survey’s respondents as an urgent national issue.

The approval ratings of the administration for the other remaining issues were: 50 percent for environmental protection, 50 percent for strengthening people’s trust in the government and its officials, 48 percent for defending the country’s territorial integrity, and 42 percent forpopulation growth control.

At the time of the survey, news dominating the headlines included the death of Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo in a plane crash last Aug. 18 and Palace confirmation that Robredo was investigating several sensitive government matters before his death; the appointment of Associate Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno as the 24th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court; the appointments of Transportation Secretary Manuel Roxas II as the new interior secretary and of Cavite Rep. Joseph Abaya as Roxas’ replacement in the DOTC.

Ongoing discussions on the reproductive health bill; the continuing tensions between the Philippines and China over territories in the West Philippine Sea; the investigation ofthe alleged kidnapping of Rolito Go at the New Bilibid Prison; and public concern over the escape of former Palawan governor Joel Reyes and his brother, Coron Mayor Mario Reyes.

The noncommissioned survey used face-to-face interviews with 1,200 sample respondents nationwide and had a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3 percentage points. Marielle Medina, Inquirer Research