TRUE, FALSE, or somewhere in between?
PRESIDENT AQUINO, right, with Vice President Binay | PCOO Photo
Tuwid na Daan, the “straight path” or bedrock promise of President Benigno S. Aquino’s administration, has triggered a three-way split in public opinion.
Across the naiton, a third of Filipinos or 36 percent says Aquino has failed to fulfill it.
Another third or 29 percent says he has.
But the last third or 34 percent remains undecided.
This three-way split in national public opinion on how Aquino has performed vis-a-vis his “tuwid na daan” promise is among the findings of the latest Ulat ng Bayan national survey of the creditable pollster Pulse Asia Research.
Field work for the survey was conducted from September 8 to 15, 2014, using face-to-face interviews with 1,200 representative adults 18 years old and above. The survey has a ± 3% error margin at the 95% confidence level.
According to Pulse Asia Research, the three-way split in national opinion on Aquino’s “tuwid na daan” record is replicated across major island groups.
In Metro Manila, 30 percent of the respondents agreed and 33 percent disagreed with, while 36 were undecided about this issue: “President Aquino has fulfilled his promise to follow a straight path.”
By income groups in Metro Manila, the poor allowed Aquino a little more breathing space: Class D (28 percent agree, 35 percent undecided, and 36 percent disagree), and Class E (29 percent agree, 37 percent undecided, and 32 percent disagree).
But for Metro Manila’s income class ABC (43 percent) and the rest of Luzon island (45 percent), big pluralities of the respondents said Aquino has spurned his “tuwid na daan” promise.
In the Visayas, Pulse Asia Research said the plurality sentiment is one of ambivalence (43 percent).
In Mindanao, however, a big plurality of residents (43 percent) said the President has fulfilled his promise to follow a straight path as the country’s leader.
Pulse Asia said the survey was conducted amid major news developments, including:
* The ongoing Senate investigation into the reported overpriced Makati City Hall Building II, with witnesses claiming, among other things, that the bidding for the said project was rigged to favor Hillmarc’s Construction Corporation and that Vice-President Jejomar C. Binay received kickbacks from various Makati City projects while serving as its local chief executive;
* A suggestion made by Albay Governor Joey Salceda to impeach Vice- President Binay due to the charges of corruption raised against him in connection with the construction of the allegedly overpriced building in Makati City which began under his watch as Makati City mayor – a proposal rejected by politicians allied with and critical of the current national administration;
* The junking of three impeachment complaints against President Aquino, which were found to be insufficient in substance by members of the Committee on Justice of the House of Representatives;
* The suspension for 90 days of Senator Juan Ponce Enrile emanating from the Sandiganbayan’s suspension order issued on 24 July 2014 so as to prevent him from influencing the investigation into his alleged involvement into the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam;
* The arrest of the suspects in a foiled “bombing attempt” at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 on 01 September 2014 which is reportedly related to the desire of a group called the USA Freedom Fighters of the East (USAFFE) to retake the Spratly Islands from China;
* The confirmation of the appointment of General Gregorio Pio Catapang as chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), with Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and Cagayan de Oro Representative Rufus Rodriguez praising him for the escape of Filipino peacekeepers stationed in Golan Heights on 31 August 2014 who were under siege from Syrian rebels;
* President Aquino’s request addressed to Congress for emergency powers to enable him to address the impending energy crisis next year;
* The transmittal of the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) to Congress and President Aquino’s call for the lawmakers to prioritize and fast-track the bill; and
* Calls for the resignation of Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Alan Purisima amidst the increasing number of crimes involving policemen and President Aquino’s expression of trust in the beleaguered police official.
Pulse Asia Research said its pool of academic fellows takes full responsibility for the design and conduct of the survey, as well as for analyses it makes based on the survey data.
In keeping with its academic nature, Pulse Asia Research said no religious, political, economic, or partisan group influenced any of these processes.
Pulse Asia Research undertakes Ulat ng Bayan surveys on its own without any party singularly commissioning the research effort.