BusinessWorld: Arroyo ratings in steep plunge

MANILA, Philippines - Public satisfaction with the country’s chief executive has fallen to depths last seen in 1986, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) on Thursday said, with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s scores at a record low of -38 based on a second-quarter national survey. The net satisfaction rating is the difference of the 22% who said they approved of Mrs. Arroyo’s performance and the 60% who disagreed, and tops the previous low of -33 also recorded under the current administration last May 2005. A Palace spokesman said the ratings plunge could be attributed to rising prices of basic goods which should not be blamed on Mrs. Arroyo. A political analyst, meanwhile, said it could be traced a perceived failure to improve the lives of the poor and a decision to push through with a trip to the United States while a typhoon battered the Philippines. The latest survey, made exclusive to BusinessWorld, was conducted by the SWS from June 27-30. It used face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults divided into random samples of 300 each in Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The error margins are plus or minus 3% at the national level and plus or minus 6% for area percentages. The question was: "Please tell me how satisfied or dissatisfied you are in the performance of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as President of the Philippines. Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, undecided if satisfied or dissatisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, very dissatisfied?" Mrs. Arroyo’s scores have declined over the last four quarters, with the last relatively favorable rating a neutral -3 in June 2007. The succeeding scores, in chronological order, are -11, -16, -26, and the latest -38. "Gross dissatisfaction", the SWS said, had for the first time hit majorities in all study areas: 63% in Metro Manila, 60% in the Balance of Luzon, 56% in the Visayas, and 62% in Mindanao. Mrs. Arroyo’s net satisfaction rating in the Visayas - said to be where she traditionally draws the strongest support - fell 18 points to a record low of -33 in June from -15 in March. A similar record low was recorded in Mindanao, where her net satisfaction rating fell to -41 from -33. It was down 13 points in the Balance of Luzon to -38 and by three points in Metro Manila to -40. Historical lows in both areas are -47 and -48, respectively. Her scores in terms of urban and rural areas also fell: by 11 points both to -38 in the former and -37 in the latter. Dissatisfaction also worsened in all socioeconomic classes, with the middle-to-upper ABC classes "just as dissatisfied now as the masa or class D," the SWS said. It fell the most among the ABC classes, down by 23 points to -37 (22% satisfied, 59% dissatisfied) in June. The previous record low for ABCs was -34 in May 2005. It had been positive in February, June and September 2007, when the ratings for the lower D and E classes were negative or zero, SWS said. Among the masa it fell 11 points to -35, topping the previous record of -34 in May 2005. For Class E it was down eight points to -45, also exceeding the previous record of -37 in March 2008. Asked to comment, Deputy Presidential Spokesman Anthony T. Golez, Jr. said "That survey coincides with the global crisis of having high prices of oil and food which directly affects the prices of gasoline and food in the country. A lot of people are mistaken in blaming the government for it when it is something that no Filipino can stop, not even the President." Mr. Golez said the President would not be distracted by the latest results, and claimed the scores would serve as "a challenge for her to work harder." Ramon C. Casiple, executive director of the Institute for Political and Electoral Reforms, said Mrs. Arroyo’s low ratings can be attributed to her decision to push through with the official trip to the US even as typhoon "Frank" battered the country and in the process caused a major ferry disaster. "The immediate factor was the typhoon. People were angry because she went to the US on the same day the typhoon made landfall in the country ... It reflected the quality of leadership," he said in Pilipino. The trip drew flak from sectors who claimed the President should have personally supervised relief operations. Mrs. Arroyo, however, said she was confident in local officials’ capabilities and added that the trip had strengthened bilateral ties. Mr. Casiple also said the poor were discontented since rising prices of goods had made life harsher. "The impression of the people is that the government is one of the forces that make their lives burdensome. They can see that every time prices of oil go up, the revenue of the government increases. "These poor people have experienced hardships. They are people who are hungry, who have problems sending their children to school or buying medicines. The President may not be able to recover at the rate she is going." - BusinessWorld