Despite high prices, 3 of 4 Pinoys think PH in right direction–SWS

Despite a record 6.7-percent inflation rate in September and escalating rice prices because of limited supply, three out of four Filipinos still believe that the country is headed in the right direction, the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed.

The survey, conducted from Sept. 15-23, found that 75 percent of the 1,500 respondents believe the country was moving in the right direction, up 5 points from 70 percent in June.

Respondents who said the country was heading in the wrong direction were 22 percent in September, down from 25 percent in June.

“The Palace welcomes the results of [this] third quarter survey … [and views] it as a reflection of our people’s continued trust and confidence in the President,” said presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo.

The survey results should inspire government officials and civil service employees to do their job better, he added.

The SWS survey also showed that President Duterte’s net satisfaction rating was an “excellent” +72 among those who said the country was moving in the right direction, higher than the “neutral” -3 given by those who said the country was headed in the wrong direction.

At 89 percent, Mindanao expressed the strongest belief that the country was on the right course, followed by Balance Luzon at 73, Visayas at 69 percent, and Metro Manila at 65 percent.

Between June and September, belief that the country was heading in the right direction rose among Class D, from 70 percent to 75 percent, and among Class E, from 70 percent to 72 percent. It fell from 80 percent to 76 percent among Classes ABC.

The poll used face-to-face interviews and had a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3 percentage points. —REPORTS FROM INQUIRER RESEARCH AND JULIE M. AURELIO