Ratings of top 5 officials fall below 50%

Senate President Franklin Drilon. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/ JOAN BONDOC

No one among the country’s top five government officials received majority approval and trust ratings, with Senate President Franklin Drilon surprisingly managing to top the field, results of a recent Pulse Asia survey showed.

Only President Benigno Aquino III experienced significant changes in his approval and trust ratings between November last year and March this year, while the other top officials registered minimal movements in their ratings, Pulse Asia said.

Results of the survey released on Thursday also showed continued declines in the approval ratings of the House of Representatives, Senate and Supreme Court.

Last week, Pulse Asia, using results from the same survey, said that Mr. Aquino’s approval and trust ratings posted double-digit declines across all geographic areas and socioeconomic groups.

The President’s approval rating dropped 21 percentage points from 59 percent last November to 38 percent in March. His trust rating dipped 20 percentage points from 56 percent to 36 percent.

Firmly determined

Despite the huge drop in Mr. Aquino’s popularity ratings, he is “firmly determined to fulfill his promises to his Bosses, the Filipino people,” Malacañang said.

In a statement, the Palace said “in all the President’s actions and decisions, he abides by his sworn duties and serves in accordance with his judgment on what is best for the nation.”

That is, “regardless of the ebb and flow of public sentiments and popularity ratings,” it added.

But unlike Mr. Aquino, whose ratings dropped to their lowest levels, Vice President Jejomar Binay and Senate President Franklin Drilon saw their ratings recovering a bit from the previous quarter.

Binay’s approval rating was a point higher, from a record-low 45 percent to 46 percent. His trust rating declined two points, from 44 percent to 42 percent.

“The Vice President is humbled by the people’s continued trust, considering the intensity of the lies and personal attacks against him,” Joey Salgado, one of the spokespersons of Binay, said in a statement.

Thankful

The approval and trust ratings of Drilon inched up from 47 percent to 49 percent and from 42 percent to 44 percent, respectively.

Drilon was thankful for the people’s appreciation and trust.

“I will continue to work hard in the Senate, and I will do all that I can to prove to our Filipino public, that indeed, I value and deserve the trust that they give my office,” he said in a statement.

House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. posted an approval rating of 27 percent from 34 percent. His trust rating dropped to 23 percent from 31 percent.

Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno’s approval ratings declined from 37 percent to 29 percent, and her trust rating fell from 33 percent to 27 percent.

Mamasapano, margin of error

The nationwide poll was conducted on March 1-7, a week after the Jan. 25 botched antiterrorism operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao province, that resulted in the death of 64 Filipinos—44 members of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force, 17 Moro Islamic Liberation Front guerrillas and three civilians.

The survey used face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults aged at least 18 years old. It had a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3 percentage points.

In the previous 18 quarterly surveys, Mr. Aquino’s approval ratings ranged from 55 percent (September 2014) to 88 percent (July 2010). His trust ratings ranged from 53 percent (June 2014) to 80 percent (November 2012).

In the 17 quarterly surveys conducted before March, Binay’s approval ratings went higher than 80 ten times, while his trust ratings exceeded 80 seven times, Pulse Asia noted. Reports from Inquirer Research, Jerry E. Esplanada, Niña P. Calleja and Leila B. Salaverria

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