Pulse Asia survey: Only 14% of Pinoys expect 'truthful' SONA

MANILA, Philippines — Two out of every five Filipinos who have heard or read President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s past State of the Nation Addresses do not expect her to be truthful in her upcoming SONA on July 28, a polling firm’s survey results revealed on Thursday. The survey conducted by Pulse Asia from July 1 to 14 covered 1,200 adults nationwide, of which 60 percent said they were aware of Arroyo’s past State of the Nation speeches. Of those aware, only 14 percent believe the President will tell the truth, and 46 percent were undecided, the survey showed. The survey also found that 46 percent or almost half of those who heard or read the President’s past SONAs did not believe in their truthfulness, while another 41 percent were uncertain. Most of those surveyed come from classes D and E, with 46 percent and 49 percent, respectively, saying the SONAs were untruthful. Only 13 percent of the “aware" respondents believed in the past SONAs’ truthfulness. “Past public skepticism regarding President Arroyo’s SONAs appears to have become stronger and now makes it difficult for her to maximize her forthcoming SONA’s political value," said the Pulse Asia Survey, adding that the current level of public indecision regarding the possible truthfulness of the President’s next SONA showed a 9-percentage-point decrease from 55 percent in July 2007 to 46 percent in July 2008. Along with the decrease in public indecision was an 11-point hike in the rate of people anticipating that her upcoming SONA will not be truthful, said Pulse Asia. “This suggests that much public vacillation regarding the truthfulness of President Arroyo next SONA ’s has been effectively resolved by the public and, unfortunately for the president, this public resolution is adverse to her interest," it said. Reacting to the survey, Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said the people should first listen to what Arroyo has to say when she delivers her SONA before a joint session of Congress at the Batasan Pambansa complex in Quezon City on July 28. Dureza said he has yet to see a copy of the survey. The Pulse Asia survey further showed that only 19 percent of those working for the government who were aware of her past SONAs believed in their truthfulness. Forty-four percent of people from the National Capital Region (Metro Manila) said Arroyo’s past SONAs were not truthful, 40 percent were undecided, and only one out of four or 16 percent Filipinos believed in its truthfulness. Meanwhile, Arroyo got favorable reviews from 21 percent of those from urban Visayas and 20 percent of those who completed college. The Pulse Asia survey said gender does not make much of a difference in perception of the SONA. The survey showed that belief in the past SONAs’ truthfulness increased with educational attainment. Only seven percent of those who had no formal education, were elementary graduates, or only had some high school or vocational education believed the past SONAs were truthful but one out of five or 20 percent of those who completed college or post college education believed in the their truthfulness. The truthfulness perception was somewhat different with regard to the President’s upcoming SONA. Sixteen percent of SONA-aware respondents with no formal education or who are only elementary graduates believe that the upcoming SONA will be truthful, while 12 percent of those who have high school, vocational and college education and 18 percent of those who have completed college or post-college think her upcoming SONA will be truthful. - GMANews.TV