More Filipinos approve of Binay than Aquino performance–Pulse Asia

MANILA, Philippines – More Filipinos approve of the performance of duties by Vice President Jejomar Binay over President Benigno Aquino III although both their approval ratings dropped, according to Pulse Asia in its latest survey.

The June 24 to July 2 survey said that 56 percent of the 1,200 respondents from around the country gave Binay an 81 percent approval rating while Aquino had 56 percent.

Four percent disapproved of Binay’s performance while 14 percent disapproved of Aquino’s.

Meanwhile, 30 percent and 16 percent of the respondents were undecided about Aquino’s and Binay’s performances respectively.

Both leaders registered a decrease in their approval ratings with Aquino’s dropping to 56 percent from 70 percent in March and Binay to 81 percent from 87 percent.

The survey was conducted from June 24 to July 2, or around the time the Supreme Court ruled that parts of the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), which critics call the president’s “pork barrel,” as unconstitutional.

It also came on the heels of the filing of plunder and graft charges by the Office of the Ombudsman before the Sandiganbayan against Senators Ramon Revilla Jr., Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, Juan Ponce Enrile, accused mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles, and several other government officials and private individuals over the pork barrel scam.

Besides Aquino and Binay, three other top government officials also suffered a drop in their approval scores.

The Supreme Court ruling on DAP failed to improve Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno’s approval rating, which eased to 35 percent from 40 percent.

Amid the alleged involvement of Congress members in the pork barrel scam, Senate President Franklin Drilon’s approval score also dropped to 52 percent from 58 percent, while Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. to 33 percent from 36 percent.

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