More people trust religious leaders than media, PR firm says

More people trust the "church" (51%) — all religions — than the media (22%), the first Philippine Trust Index (PTI) conducted by a public relations firm in Makati said. Conducted and self-commissioned by Eon, a "stakeholder relations firm," the PTI was the "first-ever quantitative study on the level and drivers of trust in key institutions in the Philippines—the Church, government, private industries, non-government organizations, and the media." Rondell Torres, Eon corporate affairs manager, told GMA News Online on Tuesday that they conducted the survey because "It's in line with our ongoing mission to build trust-based relationships among different sector." Torres said their company also wanted to showcase its expertise and gain more insights into society. Eon is the Philippines’ leading public relations agencies and the local affiliate of Edelman, the sixth largest global public relations network. On its news release, Eon said, "Asked which institution they trusted “very much," 51% of respondents said they trusted the Church while 22% said they trusted the media the most." "Trailing behind in the most trusted list were non-government organizations (12%), business (10%), and government (7%)," it added. Definition of terms In the survey, the term "Church" was used to refer to all religions and beliefs. "Government," meanwhile, was divided into seven sub-categories from the executive, legislative, and judiciary, with the Office of the President ranking highest (54%). It was followed by: Local government units (44%);