SWS: More people dissatisfied with govt handling of Maguindanao massacre

As the first anniversary of the Maguindanao massacre nears, a survey by pollster Social Weather Stations showed that more people are dissatisfied with the way the government is handling the issue. The results of the SWS survey, conducted September 24 to 27, were published in SWS' business partner BusinessWorld on Wednesday. The poll found that 47% of the respondents were dissatisfied with the government’s actions on the Maguindanao massacre issue. Only about 35% said they were satisifed with the government's moves on the issue, bringing the net satisfaction rating to -12, classified as "poor." The dissatisfaction rating was a drop from December 2009, when only 44% were dissatisfied and 41% satisfied, translating to a "neutral" net rating of -2. Net satisfaction worsens The SWS said net satisfaction worsened in all areas except in the Balance of Luzon. The rating fell by 28 points in the Visayas to a "poor" level of -27, from a "neutral" level of +1. In Manila, the government's rating fell by by 15 points to a "poor" level of -23 from a "neutral" -8. In Mindanao, the rating fell by 11 points to a "poor" level of -17 from a "neutral" -6. The rating stayed "neutral" in the Balance of Luzon, at +1 from -1 previously. Some 70% of the respondents were said to be "very/somewhat closely" following news about the case. This level of interest was highest in Mindanao -- where Maguindanao is located -- at 77%, followed by Metro Manila (73%), and the Balance of Luzon and the Visayas (both at 68%). Maguindanao massacre The Maguindanao massacre, also known as the Ampatuan massacre, occurred on November 23, 2009 in Ampatuan town in Mindanao's Maguindanao province. At that time, the massacre victims were on their way to file Esmael Mangudadatu's certificate of candidacy for Maguindanao governor. Mangudadatu, the vice-mayor of Buluan town at the time of the massacre, eventually won the gubernatorial race in the May 10, 2010 polls. The 57 people who were killed and buried in a mass grave in Ampatuan town included Mangudadatu's wife, his two sisters, as well as journalists, lawyers, aides, and motorists who were witnesses or were mistakenly identified as part of the convoy. — VVP, GMANews.TV