Filipinos disappointed with gov’t response to crisis

MANILA – Filipinos are dissatisfied with how the government has responded to the global economic crisis, with a BBC World Service-commissioned survey placing their disappointment level as the third highest among 20 countries.

“A large majority (76%) are dissatisfied with how Filipino leaders have responded and a corresponding 74% believe the benefits and burdens of the economic situation have been shared unfairly…,” international survey firm GlobeScan, Inc. said in a September 13 report.

Discontent was the highest in Mexico, where only 9% said they were satisfied with the government’s actions. Following were Japan (18%) and the Philippines (24%).

Support for their leaders was strongest among the Chinese (88%), followed by Australia (68%), Egypt (63%), Brazil (59%) and Indonesia (57%).

Asked to comment, acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Augusto B. Santos said the government had not been remiss.

“The crisis is not of our own making, and it’s not the fault of the national leadership. But it is because of the national leadership that the country was able to grow at 1.5% in the second quarter” he told BusinessWorld.

According to the survey, a little over half (55%) of Filipinos do not support a state stimulus and spending on renewable energy. They did favor assistance for failing industries (66%) and banks (63%).

Mr. Santos, however, said an economic stimulus was still needed: “We should not end the stimulus, [just] reduce it.”

The negative view of a stimulus, he said, may be due to Filipinos not being “provided with information”. It could also be colored by corruption allegations.

In terms of regulation, more Filipinos were receptive to greater oversight from the government (67%). Some 62% opposed giving international institutions more regulation authority.

Filipinos, the survey found, have a more positive view of actions taken by leaders of foreign governments and multinational institutions.

“[Filipino] majorities are satisfied with what the leaders of the following groups are doing to address the financial crisis: the US (71%), the G20 (55%), the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (55%) and the EU (52%),” the report states.

Slightly over half, however, were dissatisfied with the efforts of bank executives (54%) and Chinese leaders (51%).

In the Philippines, the BBC poll covered 1,000 respondents aged 18 and up. It involved face-to-face interviews conducted from June 16 to July 15 in the National Capital Region.

Globally, the poll covered a total of 22,158 individuals in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, Turkey, the UK and the US. –BusinessWorld