Aquino ratings rebound seen to benefit Roxas

In this July 31, 2015 file photo, President Benigno Aquino III raises the hand of Interior Secretary Mar Roxas during “A Gathering of Friends” at the Cory C. Aquino Kalayaan Hall, Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan.  The President endorses Sec. Roxas to be the presidential candidate of his political party LP. GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

The leap in the satisfaction rating of President Aquino would buoy the presidential bid of former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, a senior official of the ruling Liberal Party (LP) said Thursday.

“That’s the positive effect of the presidential endorsement of a popular president,” the LP spokesperson, Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone, told the Inquirer.

In its Sept. 2 to 5 survey, Social Weather Stations (SWS) found 64 percent of 1,200 respondents nationwide satisfied with Mr. Aquino’s performance.

On the other hand, 22 percent of the respondents said they were dissatisfied while 14 percent were undecided.

These pushed up his net satisfaction rating (percent satisfied minus percent dissatisfied) to a “good” +41 that was 11 points above the “good” +30 in June and the highest since the “good” +45 posted in March 2014.

Evardone expressed belief that the President’s high approval ratings “will matter a lot” in the voters’ choice for his successor in next year’s general elections.

“The people will see the continuity of President Aquino’s programs. They will see Mar Roxas as ‘President Aquino Part 2,’” he said.

Evardone said Mr. Aquino’s improved satisfaction rating was proof that the public was supportive of the administration’s daang matuwid (straight path) governance.

“The people really believe in the programs of the government,” he said.

Grateful to Bosses

Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said Malacañang was “grateful to our Bosses—the Filipino people—for reaffirming their satisfaction with the President’s performance.”

In a statement, he noted “this is a clear vote of confidence in the Aquino administration’s good governance advocacy that has brought about significant reforms.”

“The Filipino people have acknowledged the tangible results of daang matuwid, in terms of improved quality of life, as a result of steady and sustainable economic growth for the past five years,” he said.

Coloma added, “Indeed, the country’s journey along daang matuwid has come a long way, going into the last nine months of the President’s term and bodes well for the country’s future.”

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda called the survey results “more than just affirmation of President Aquino’s leadership.”

Strides toward inclusivity

The figures also “reflect the public’s confidence in daang matuwid,” he said.

“This latest vote of confidence from the public confirms the significance of our strides toward inclusivity… The challenge now is to continue daang matuwid to ensure that the gains that we have achieved will not be erased, but rather serve as the foundation for even more reforms and advancements,” he added.

The survey, first published in BusinessWorld, used face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults nationwide and had a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3 percentage points.

SWS classifies net satisfaction ratings of +70 and above as “excellent”; +50 to +69 as “very good”; +30 to +49 as “good”; +10 to +29 as “moderate”; +9 to -9 as “neutral”; -10 to -29 as “poor”; -30 to -49 as “bad”; -50 to -69 as “very bad,” and -70 and below as “execrable.”

Compared with the second quarter SWS survey, gross satisfaction with Mr. Aquino rose 7 points from 57 percent, gross dissatisfaction dropped five points from 27 percent while gross undecided fell one point from 15 percent.

Good scores nationwide

The 11-point increase in the President’s net satisfaction rating resulted from increases of 16 points in the rest of Luzon, 15 points in the Visayas and 10 points in Metro Manila plus a steady score in Mindanao.

His net satisfaction scores: +46 in Balance Luzon; +18 in Metro Manila; +50 in the Visayas, and +39 in Mindanao.

According to the SWS, Mr. Aquino’s net satisfaction in urban areas rose to +32, up by three points from +29 in June.

On the other hand, his rural net satisfaction score was +46, up 15 points from +31 three months ago.

Among the lower classes, his net satisfaction also improved. Among the Class D respondents, he scored a +39, 12 points more than the +27 in June. Among Class E, he got +49, up 15 points from +34 in the last survey.

For respondents in Classes A, B and C, it stayed at +44.

Public service

The SWS survey was “noncommissioned” and “released as a public service” with the question on public satisfaction phrased as follows: “Please tell me how satisfied or dissatisfied you are in the performance of Benigno Aquino III as President of the Philippines. Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, undecided if satisfied or dissatisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, very dissatisfied, or you have not heard or read anything about Benigno Aquino III?” With reports from Jerry E. Esplanada and Inquirer Research

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