Vice President Jejomar Binay. FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — No matter what the results of surveys say, Vice President Jejomar Binay believes he is still “number 1.”
“Number 1 pa rin ako (I’m still number one),” quipped Binay when asked whether the dip in approval ratings in his work shattered his confidence.
The latest Pulse Asia Survey indicated a drop in the approval ratings of both Binay and President Benigno Aquino III for mid-January.
“Hindi mo maaano yun sa confidence level ko kasi number one pa rin ako. Makikita yung tiwala at confidence ng ating mga kababayan sa akin (You can’t use that to diminish my confidence. You can see the trust and confidence in me by the people),” said the Vice President.
He noted it was not only him and the President who received lower approval scores in the latest Pulse Asia survey.
“Lahat naman bumagsak. Siguro election time na. Marami ng mga isyung lumalabas kung anu-ano ng nangyayari. [Ang] pagbagsak hindi naman pumunta sa unfavorable, napunta sa undecided,” he pointed out.
(All got lower scores. Perhaps it’s already election time. Issues crop up and events are happening. The dip did not go to the unfavourable; it went to the undecided.)
As always, Binay said poor survey results should prod public figures to work harder.
“Siguro kailangang magdagdag ng sipag uli para makuha natin yung tiwala ng ating mga kababayan (Maybe hard work is needed to regain public trust),” said Binay.
Acceptability, public opinion like ice cream
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, UNA co-founder, likened popularity, acceptability or public opinion to ice cream.
“Sometimes it’s solidified… in many instances that I’ve gone through where perhaps the appreciation of the people has gone down,” he said.
“But who knows, it might rise again in the morning,” he said to illustrate the unpredictability of public opinion.
Enrile got his share of the decline in approval and trust ratings in the same Pulse Asia survey, but he said he was unsure what factors contributed to the dip in his scores.
“I really don’t know. Maybe because I was the subject of a barrage,” he said.
Enrile and the Senate have drawn criticism for the distribution of “cash gifts” last Christmas to favored senators.