Nearing their terms’ end, Aquino, Binay lose majority approval ratings

President Benigno Aquino III (right) and Vice President Jejomar Binay. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

President Benigno Aquino III and Vice President Jejomar Binay both lost majority approval ratings for January, the latest Pulse Asia survey said.

The survey, conducted January 24 to 28 among 1,800 registered voters, showed that Aquino’s approval ratings declined from 55 percent in December to 49 percent in January. His trust ratings also fell from 53 percent last quarter to 45 percent in January.

READ: Palace vows more reforms as Aquino’s trust, approval ratings hike

Binay also suffered the same fate with an approval rating of 47 percent in January from 52 percent in December, and trust rating of 45 percent from 49 percent last December.

READ: Binay ratings up–Pulse Asia

The other top officials included in the survey — Senate President Franklin Drilon, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte and Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno — also experienced a drop in their ratings.

Only Aquino and Binay enjoyed “near majority approval ratings,” while Drilon received almost the same approval and indecision ratings.

On the other hand, respondents were more undecided when it came to Belmonte and Sereno who posted approval ratings of 24 percent and 25 percent, respectively.

A similar trend was seen in their trust ratings.

Events that coincided with the survey are Aquino’s veto of the bill increasing monthly pension of Social Security System (SSS) members, the anniversary of the Mamasapano encounter, and the conclusion of the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee probe on corruption allegations against Binay.

Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said the results of the latest survey still show that Aquino enjoys “high approval and trust ratings.”

“We note further the most significant increases in the President’s ratings came from socio-economic class ABC at both +7, indicating that the government’s programs to institutionalize good governance and transparency as well as ensuring continued economic reform and inclusive growth have resonated well among the leaders of the professional and business communities,” he said.

While Aquino’s trust ratings was highest among class ABC, Binay received a higher trust and approval ratings among class E. Aquino’s approval ratings were more than 50 percent for class ABC and E and was  at 49 percent for class D.

“Across geographic areas and socio-economic groupings, approval for the President’s work eases in Class E (-15 percentage points), while Vice-President Binay’s approval scores drop in the Visayas, Mindanao, and Class E (-11 to -12 percentage points),” Pulse Asia said in its report. IDL

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