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Pulse Asia: Arroyo distrust rating rises to 46% amid bribery scandals


President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s distrust rating rose to 46 percent, while her overall disapproval rating of 39 percent was considered “the highest among the country’s top five national officials." These were the findings by Pulse Asia from its October 2007 Ulat ng Bayan survey on presidential performance and trust ratings, which was conducted when critics renewed their call for President Arroyo’s resignation over allegations of bribery and cash handouts to government officials. “Amidst new calls for her resignation over the ZTE bribery scandal and the cash handouts to several government officials, President Arroyo registers an overall disapproval rating of 39 percent – the highest among the country’s top five national officials," Pulse Asia said. It said Metro Manilans continue to be most critical of the President (51 percent), while those from the Visayas region registered the lowest disapproval rating (33 percent). Pulse Asia said the said figures were higher than those recorded in July 2007 (+14 and +12 percentage points, respectively). Also, Pulse Asia said President Arroyo’s level of disapproval in Mindanao increased by 10 percentage points during the same period. Across socio-economic classes, nearly the same disapproval ratings of 39 percent to 41 percent were posted. "But while the figures in the most numerous Class D are practically unchanged between July and October 2007, there is an 11-percentage point increase in the levels of disapproval in the best-off Class ABC and the poorest Class E," it added. Disapproval rating President Arroyo’s disapproval rating of 39 percent was the highest among the country’s top national officials. Meanwhile, it said the “level of public appreciation" for President Arroyo’s work (30 percent) was almost the same for Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno (32 percent) and Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr (33 percent). Results of the survey also showed that similar to the July 2007 findings, only Vice President Noli de Castro (55 percent) and Senate President Manuel Villar Jr (66 percent) succeeded in scoring “majority approval rating. Villar and De Castro also had the lowest disapproval ratings of 6 percent and 15 percent respectively. Distrust rating Meanwhile on the Filipinos’ 46 percent distrust rating on chief executive, Pulse Asia that “for the most part, President Arroyo’s ratings across geographic areas and socio-economic classes are consistent with the respective national figures." It said trust ratings range from 18 percent in Metro Manila to 28 percent in Mindanao, while indecision ratings vary from 27 percent in the Class E to 33 percent in the Visayas. As for distrust ratings, the lowest was recorded in the Visayans (41 percent), while the highest came from Metro Manila (54 percent). It said that between July and October 2007, levels of distrust increased by double-digit margins (+11 to +19 percentage points) in Metro Manila and the Visayas as well as in Classes ABC and E, with the most notable rise occurring in the Visayas. Meanwhile, indecision ratings dropped by 11 percentage points in Class ABC and by 13 percentage points in Metro Manila and Class E, while in terms of trust ratings, the only marked movement is the 12-percentage point erosion recorded among Visayans according to Pulse Asia. The survey used a probability sample of 1,200 representative adults, 18 years old and above. Pulse Asia said the nationwide survey has a plus or minus 3 percent error margin at 95 percent confidence level. Pulse Asia said that at the time the interviews for the survey were being conducted, reports on the following developments dominated the news headlines: cash handed out to selected local government officials and legislators in Malacañang; renewed calls for President Arroyo’s resignation and the planned revival of impeachment complaints against her; the blast in a Makati shopping mall that killed several people; the rift between President Arroyo and De Venecia over the $329.48-million National Broadband Network project with China's Zhong Xing Telecommunications Equipment (ZTE) Corp. and cash handout controversies; the Senate investigation on the ZTE contract; the granting of pardon to former President Joseph Estrada; the holding of the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections; the increasing price of oil in the global market and the steady appreciation of the Philippine peso. - GMANews.TV

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