Survey shows most Filipinos approve of Aquino, Binay performace

President Benigno Aquino III and Vice President Jejomar Binay. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Seven out of every 10 adult Filipinos approve of the performance of President Benigno Aquino III and Vice President Jejomar Binay and about the same number trust the country’s two top officials, the results of Pulse Asia’s latest survey show. The ratings were basically unchanged from what they were between January and February.

The survey, conducted from February 24 to 28, found 68 percent saying they approved of Aquino’s performance, while 70 percent approved of Binay’s performance. On the other hand, 24 percent were undecided about President Aquino’s performance, while 6 percent disapproved. For the vice president, 24 percent were undecided, while 5 percent disapproved of his performance.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile posted an approval rating of 46 percent, while Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. posted an approval rating of 27 percent. Twenty-six percent said they approved of Supreme Court Chief Justice Lourdes Sereno’s performance.

Across areas, the President’s approval ratings ranged from 63 percent in Metro Manila to 76 percent in the Visayas, while ranging from 63 percent among class ABC to 69 percent among class D.

For the vice president, the approval ratings ranged from 66 percent in the Visayas to 72 percent in Luzon outside Metro Manila, and from 59 percent among class ABC to 72 percent among class D.

Senate President Enrile’s approval ratings ranged from 40 percent in Mindanao to 49 percent in Balance Luzon, and from 35 percent among class ABC to 48 percent among class D.

Speaker Belmonte’s approval ratings ranged from 24 percent in Mindanao to 29 percent in Balance Luzon, and from 24 percent among class E to 28 percent among class D.

Approval for the chief justice’s performance ranged from 20 percent in the Visayas to 30 percent in Balance Luzon, and from 24 percent among class ABC to 28 percent among class E.

Meanwhile, 69 percent said they trusted the President, whose trust ratings ranged from 62 percent in Metro Manila to 73 percent in Visayas and Mindanao. The President garnered 69 percent trust across all socio-economic classes.

The trust rating for the vice president was at 72 percent. Across areas, his trust ratings ranged from 70 percent in Metro Manila and Mindanao to 73 percent in Luzon outside Metro Manila. It ranged from 63 percent among class ABC to 73 percent among class D.

For Senate President Enrile, 43 percent said they trusted him. His trust ratings ranged from 38 percent in the Visayas to 45 percent in Luzon outside Metro Manila, and from 33 percent among class ABC to 46 percent among class E.

Twenty-three percent said they trusted Speaker Belmonte. His trust ratings ranged from 18 percent in the Visayas to 30 percent in Metro Manila, and from 22 percent in class D to 30 percent in class ABC.

The chief justice posted a trust rating of 22 percent, ranging from 20 percent in Metro Manila to 26 percent in Mindanao, and from 22 percent in class D and class E to 25 percent in class ABC.

“Public assessment of the performance and trustworthiness of the country’s top five government officials remains basically unchanged between January and February 2013,” Pulse Asia noted in a news release Wednesday.

The Supreme Court posted a majority trust rating (52 percent), while the Senate and House of Representatives posted trust ratings of 49 percent and 44 percent, respectively.

The Supreme Court’s trust ratings ranged from 49 percent in Mindanao to 54 percent in Luzon outside Metro Manila, and from 49 percent in class ABC to 53 percent in class D.

The Senate’s trust ratings, on the other hand, ranged from 44 percent in the Visayas to 51 percent in Luzon outside Metro Manila and Mindanao, and from 42 percent in class ABC to 50 percent in class D.

Trust in the House of Representatives was at 44 percent nationwide, and ranged from 40 percent in Metro Manila to 47 percent in Mindanao, and from 31 percent among class ABC to 47 percent in class D.

The survey, conducted from Feb. 24 to Feb. 28, used face-to-face interviews with1,800 registered voters aged 18 and older. It had a margin of error of plus-or-minus 2 percentage points.

At the time of the survey, the following developments were in the headlines: the conduct of mock elections in various parts of the country; the start of the official campaign period for the May elections; the United Nationalist Alliance’s decision to drop Senators Loren Legarda and Francis Escudero, as well as former Movie and Television Review and Classification Board chair Grace Poe from its senatorial slate; the crisis in Sabah; the release of the National Bureau of Investigation’s report on the Atimonan massacre; salvage operations to extract the USS Guardian from the Tubbataha Reef in Palawan; the continued importation of used cars in Port Irene, Cagayan; the 27th anniversary of the 1986 People Power Revolution and the President’s signing of the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013; and the announcement of  6.6-percent growth in the country’s gross domestic product in 2012, among others.