But Binay suffers drop in ratings

By Julius D. Mariveles

PNOY AND JOJOBAMA. Both scored majority approval and trust ratings. However, Binay’s ratings dropped during the past quarter compared to the previous one | PCOO Photo

Half of Filipinos surveyed by Pulse Asia still approve of the performance of and trust President Benigno S. Aquino III and Vice-President Jejomar Binay based on the September 2014 Ulat ng Bayan report of the creditable pollster.

In fact, PNoy and Jobama are the only officials whose trust and appproval ratings for the past three months were in the majority compared to those of Senate President Franklin Drilon, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, and Chief Justice Lourdes Sereno who all scored below 50 percent, according to the 11-page report of Pulse Asia furnished the PCIJ. The report titled “Performance and Trust Ratings of the Top Five National Government Officials, Congress, and Supreme Court,” was based on the survey fieldwork conducted by Pulse Asia from September 8 to 15, 2014.

The sample size, as in previous Pulse Asia surveys, was composed of 1,200 adults 18 years old and above that were interviewed face-to-face by researchers. The survey has a ± 3 percent error margin at the 95 percent confidence level while subnational estimates for Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao have an error margin of have a ± 6 percent error margin, also at 95 percent confidence level.

While Filipinos say they remain appreciative of the quarterly performance of Aquino and Binay (55 percent and 66 percent, respectively), they cannot say if they approve or disapprove of the work done by Belmonte who got an approval rating of only 30 percent. Most of those surveyed were undecided, on the other hand, about the performance of Sereno and Drilon who got undecided ratings of 45 percent and 46 percent, respectively.

TRUST RATINGS Aquino and Binay also got majority trust ratings from Filipinos in September 2014 with 54 percent and 64 percent, respectively.

Half of the Pinoys, however, were still undecided about the trustworthiness of Drilon, Belmonte, and Sereno. Pulse Asia also noted that only Binay succeeded in scoring majority approval and trust ratings in every geographic area and socio-economic groupings. Aquino, on the other hand, got majority approval and trust ratings in the Visayas, in Class D and Class E.

Overall, however, the appreciation and trust for Binay “eased” from June to September 2014, both dropping at minus 15 percentage points. Binay’s approval score in Class ABC and his trust score in Mindanao also declined by minus 19 and minus 14 percentage points, respectively. Among the issues prevailing during the conduct of the survey according to Pulse Asia were the following:

• 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 Benigno S. Aquino III 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 due to his alleged inovement in 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.