Palace retort on survey rating: What distrust? Arroyo is well loved

MANILA, Philippines - What distrust? What disapproval? President Gloria Arroyo is well loved by people, her spokesperson said in response to a survey by pollster Pulse Asia showing that the president has gotten the highest disapproval and distrust ratings among top government officials. Deputy presidential spokeswoman Lorelei Fajardo blamed negative television and radio reports for the president's poor survey results. “Nagtataka rin ako -- sa dami ng lugar na pinuntahan ni Presidente, maramdaman mo ang pagtanggap ng tao sa kanya. Well-loved siya at welcome naman siya," deputy presidential spokeswoman Lorelei Fajardo said in an interview on dwIZ radio. [I have to wonder at the survey result. Wherever we go, I can see the President is well loved and welcomed. But she said it was sad to note that Mrs. Arroyo fares poorly in surveys. Fajardo said the Palace should double its efforts to improve Mrs. Arroyo’s acceptability to the public. “Perception din yan sa nakikita siguro nila sa television o naririnig nila [It is also a result of their perceptions, what they see on TV or hear on the radio]," she said. The Pulse Asia survey showed President Arroyo is currently the most distrusted official while Vice President Manuel “Noli" de Castro Jr. is the most trusted. In its survey conducted last May, Pulse Asia also said 46 percent of Filipinos are critical of Mrs. Arroyo’s work while 53 percent are most appreciative of De Castro’s performance. “(Vice President) De Castro enjoys the highest approval ratings (41% to 63%) while (Mrs.) Arroyo posts the highest disapproval ratings (43% to 60%) in all geographic areas and socio-economic classes," Pulse Asia said in an article on its Web site. “Public trust is the predominant sentiment only in the case of Vice-President De Castro while public distrust is most pronounced in the case of President Arroyo; big pluralities of Filipinos cannot say if they trust or distrust Senate President Enrile, House Speaker Nograles, and Supreme Court Chief Justice Puno," it added. - GMANews.TV