Pinoys trustful yet pragmatic

Confidence in Aquino substantial but few pledges expected to be met

FILIPINOS’ expectations of the Aquino presidency are optimistic yet at the same time practical, results of a new Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey indicate.

The poll, taken a few days before President Benigno C. Aquino III took office, had 88% of the respondents claiming to have “much trust” in him, versus 4% who said otherwise, for a “very good” net trust rating of +83.

Asked whether Mr. Aquino would be able to fulfill his campaign promises, 53% said they expected just “a few” to be met. A “nearly all” view was held by 19%, 14% said “all,” 4% “almost none” and 5% replied “none.”

A political analyst said the high trust rating was expected with the change in government — former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was plagued by very low approval scores — but also noted that Filipinos were aware that Mr. Aquino faced a huge task with respect to his promise to end corruption.

A Malacañang spokesman admitted to the pressure to deliver even as he welcomed the optimism given the new government.

Filipinos’ confidence, the SWS survey showed, also extends to Vice-President Jejomar C. Binay who defeated Mr. Aquino’s running mate, Manuel A. Roxas II, in the May 10 elections. The former Makati mayor’s net trust rating came in at +69 (77% “much trust” minus 8% “little trust”).

The SWS considers scores of +50 and above “very good”; +30 to +49, “good”; +10 to +29, “moderate; +9 to -9, “neutral”; -10 to -29, “poor”; -30 to -49, “bad”; and -50 or lower, “very bad.”

Mr. Aquino’s net trust ratings were “very good” in all areas and classes. By region it was highest in the Visayas at +87, followed by Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon (+84 each), and Mindanao (+79). By class, it was highest in the upper-middle ABC segment (+88) followed by the class D or masa (+83) and class E (+82).

Mr. Binay’s net trust ratings were also “very good” in all areas and classes: +73 in the Balance of Luzon, +69 in Metro Manila, +67 in Mindanao, and +64 in the Visayas. It was highest in class E at +77, followed by the masa at +67, and the ABC at +64.

Asked to comment, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said: “We thank the people for their trust. Rest assured that we will dedicate ourselves to public service.”

Joey Salgado, Mr. Binay’s spokesman, said in a text message: “The vice-president is thankful… It is important for us to earn the trust of the people as we face together the challenge of rebuilding our nation.”

The absence of legitimacy issues, said Ateneo de Manila University political science professor Benito O. Lim, was behind Mr. Aquino’s high net trust ratings.

“[Mr. Aquino’s presidency] does not have any legal issues unlike when [Mrs.] Arroyo took over in 2001. And then she has this issue on cheating in 2004,” he said.

Mr. Binay’s relatively lower score, Mr. Lim added, reflects the close fight between him and Mr. Roxas.

The majority expectation that Mr. Aquino would fulfill only “a few” of his promises, Mr. Lim said, showed an awareness that the fight against corruption would not be an easy task: previous administrations had failed to make significant gains versus the problem.

The SWS poll, which utilized face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adult Filipinos nationwide, was conducted last June 25 to 28. Messrs. Aquino and Binay were sworn into office on June 30.

The error margins used were ±3% for national and ±6% for area percentages. — with a report from Gerard S. dela Peña, Businessworld