Filtered By: Topstories
News

Pulse Asia: PNoy, Binay, Enrile get majority approval ratings


The country's top three officials — President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, Vice-President Jejomar Binay, and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile — received majority approval ratings from Filipinos in October, pollster Pulse Asia said on Monday. Pulse Asia said the survey, conducted from October 20 to 29, showed that only four Cabinet members enjoyed the approval of most Filipinos in October. "President Benigno S. Aquino III (79%), Vice-President Jejomar C. Binay (78%) and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile (61%) succeed in scoring majority approval ratings in October 2010. In the case of House Speaker Feliciano R. Belmonte, Jr., nearly the same percentages of Filipinos express either approval for or indecision toward his performance (45% versus 43%)," Pulse Asia said on its website. However, Pulse Asia said public ambivalence is the plurality sentiment toward Chief Justice Renato Corona (45%). On the other hand, public disapproval is most manifest toward Corona (18%) while single-digit disapproval scores are recorded by Aquino (3%), Binay (3%) and Enrile (8%). Public indecision is most notable in the case of House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. (43%) and Corona (45%) and least pronounced in Aquino (18%) and Binay (20%). Between July and October 2010, public indecision toward the performance of Enrile became more manifest (+9 percentage points) while marginal changes in his approval and disapproval ratings were observed (-3 and -5 percentage points, respectively). "Enrile is the only one among the country’s top national government officials with comparative performance ratings for the period July to October 2010. While President Aquino was also performance-rated in July 2010, he was assessed as a senator and not yet as president," Pulse Asia said. The pollster added that this is the first time survey respondents were asked to evaluate presidential performance under the new administration. Binay grateful for high ratings Binay said on Monday he was grateful for the high approval ratings given to him by the public according to a survey conducted by pollster Pulse Asia. “Vice President Binay gratefully acknowledges the people's support. He sees it as an expression of optimism and confidence that life will be better in the years to come," the Office of the Vice President (OVP) said in a statement released Monday. However, the OVP said that Binay knows that he still has a lot of work to do, specifically in the housing sector and in protection of overseas Filipino workers (OFW). "With the people's support, he believes that these goals are attainable," it said. Binay is the chairperson of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), a presidential appointment he accepted shortly after he assumed the vice presidency. He was also later on appointed as the presidential adviser on OFW concerns. Public awareness About public awareness, practically every Filipino has read or heard something about Aquino (100%), Binay (100%) and Enrile (99%). In contrast, fewer Filipinos report awareness of Belmonte (88%) and Corona (79%). Meanwhile, only four officials who were performance-rated in October 2010 enjoy the approval of most Filipinos. These included:

  • Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman (65%);
  • Justice Secretary Leila de Lima (60%);
  • Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim (55%), and
  • Health Secretary Enrique Ona (52%). "Given the survey’s error margin, the approval ratings of Secretary Soliman and De Lima are essentially the same," Pulse Asia said. Public approval is the plurality sentiment toward the performance of:
  • Education Secretary Armin Luistro (49%)
  • Labor secretary Rosalinda Baldoz, Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda, Interior undersecretary Rico Puno, and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Ricardo David Jr. (who scored practically the same approval ratings between 40% to 42%), and
  • indecision figures (38% to 45%). Near to small majorities are ambivalent toward the work done by secretaries:
  • Proceso Alcala (agriculture);
  • Jesse Robredo (interior);
  • Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO) Secretary Ramon Carandang;
  • Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr.;
  • Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr.;
  • National Food Authority (NFA) Angelito Banayo, and
  • Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez (44% to 52%). Most critical Meanwhile, Filipinos are most critical of the performance of DILG Undersecretary Puno (21%) and Ombudsman Gutierrez (23%). In contrast, single-digit disapproval ratings are obtained by DSWD Secretary Soliman (7%), DOJ Secretary de Lima (8%) and DOH Secretary Ona (9%). On public awareness, at least 66% of Filipinos say they have heard or read something about these government officials. Public awareness is most pronounced in the case of Mayor Lim (99%), DILG Undersecretary Puno (89%), Soliman (87%) and de Lima (86%). Lower awareness levels are recorded by Coloma (66%), Baldoz (68%), Ochoa (68%) and Alcala (69%). The survey was conducted Oct. 20 to 29, based on a sample of 1,200 representative adults 18 years old and above. It has a ± 3% error margin at the 95% confidence level. Subnational estimates for each of the geographic areas covered in the survey (i.e., Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao) have a ± 6% error margin, also at 95% confidence level. At the time the survey was conducted, major developments in the country included: 1. The mixed assessment of the first 100 days in office of Aquino; 2. The release of Malacañang’s review of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee’s (IIRC) report on the August 23 hostage-taking incident and the mixed reactions that the review drew; 3. Allegations concerning the involvement in jueteng of some government officials; 4. The President's clash against two institutions — the Catholic Church (on the reproductive health issue) and the Supreme Court (on the President's move to rescind all the midnight appointments made by his predecessor0; 5. The proclamation issued by Aquino granting amnesty to Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and over 300 other military officers and personnel involved in several mutinies; 6. The barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections; 7. The approval on second reading of the 2011 national budget by the House of Representatives; 8. The ongoing trials on the Maguindanao massacre and the NBN-ZTE deal; 9. The Supreme Court’s dismissal of a plagiarism case against one of its associate members and its issuance of a show cause order asking 37 members of the University of The Philippines College of Law faculty; 10. The typhoon that hit northern Philippines; and 11. The increase in oil prices, reduction in electricity rates, and the appreciation of the local currency relative to the US dollar. – with Kim Tan, VVP/HS, GMANews.TV
  • LOADING CONTENT