Aquino rating dips to ‘good’

SATISFACTION with the performance of President Benigno S. C. Aquino III has dropped to “good” and a majority of Filipinos see him as serving the interests of the middle class, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) said in a new report.

A March 10-13 survey, the results of which were made exclusive to BusinessWorld, had 68% of the respondents saying they were satisfied with Mr. Aquino’s performance versus 19% who said otherwise. Subtracting the latter from the former resulted in a “good” net satisfaction rating of +49, nine points down from December’s “very good” +58 (71% satisfied, 13% dissatisfied).

Across the board the number of those who said they were satisfied with the president’s performance fell, although overwhelmingly the net result remained “very good” in terms of geographic areas, socioeconomic class and gender.

The first quarter’s +49 result is only the second “good” net rating for Mr. Aquino, the prior one being a +46 in June last year. He has enjoyed mostly “very good” scores — the highest being a +64 in November 2010 — in the SWS’ surveys since taking office in June 2010.

The SWS classifies net satisfaction scores of +70 and above as “excellent”; +50 to +69, “very good”; +30 to +49, “good”; +10 to +29, “moderate”, +9 to -9, “neutral”; -10 to -29, “poor”; -30 to -49, “bad”; -50 to -69, “very bad”; -70 and below, “execrable.”

A Palace spokesperson declined to comment on the March survey results, saying officials would want to look at the numbers first. A Cabinet secretary, meanwhile, noted that the middle class was instrumental in propelling Mr. Aquino to power.

The SWS said a 15-point drop in the Balance Luzon area, to a “good” net +45 (67% satisfied, 21% dissatisfied) from a “very good” +60 (72% satisfied, 12% dissatisfied) previously, was to blame for the quarter’s overall dip into “good” territory.

Satisfaction also fell but remained “very good” in the rest of the country: it was +53 (69% satisfied, 16% dissatisfied) in Mindanao, three points below December’s +56 (71% satisfied, 14% dissatisfied, correctly rounded); +52 (72% satisfied, 20% dissatisfied) in Metro Manila, two points below the +54 (70% satisfied, 16% dissatisfied) in the previous quarter; and +50 (67% satisfied, 17% dissatisfied) in the Visayas, nine points lower than the +59 (71% satisfied, 13% dissatisfied, correctly rounded) three months earlier.

Rural net satisfaction, meanwhile, stayed “very good” at +52 (68% satisfied, 16% dissatisfied), although it was down 12 points from the +64 (75% satisfied, 10% dissatisfied, correctly rounded) recorded in the previous quarter.

Urban net satisfaction, meanwhile, fell to a “good” net +45 (68% satisfied, 23% dissatisfied), seven points below December’s “very good” net +52 (68% satisfied, 16% dissatisfied).

By socioeconomic class, net satisfaction with the president stayed “very good” among the ABC at +62 (79% satisfied, 16% dissatisfied, correctly rounded), down a point from +61 (72% satisfied, 11% dissatisfied).

It also stayed “very good” among the class E at +52 (68% satisfied, 16% dissatisfied), four points below the previous score of +56 (70% satisfied, 13% dissatisfied, correctly rounded).

Among the class D or masa, a 12-point drop from December’s “very good” +58 (72% satisfied, 13% dissatisfied) meant Mr. Aquino’s latest net score was merely a “good” +46 (67% satisfied, 20% dissatisfied, correctly rounded).

In terms of gender, the president’s rating stayed “very good” among women at a net +50 (68% satisfied, 18% dissatisfied), but it was down seven points from the +57 (70% satisfied, 13% dissatisfied) in December.

It fell to “good” among men at +48 (68% satisfied, 20% dissatisfied), 11 points below the previous quarter’s “very good” +59 (72% satisfied, 13% dissatisfied).

Meanwhile, asked if Mr. Aquino was serving the interests of the rich, the middle class or the poor, 52% said they believed he favored the middle class, down slightly from the 55% notched in September 2010 when the question was last raised.

The proportion of those who said the president was serving the poor fell by 13 points to 35% from 48%, while those who said he was serving the rich rose four points to 27% from 23%.

The president’s net satisfaction rating was higher among those who said he served the interest of the poor, hitting a “very good” +64 (78% satisfied, 14% dissatisfied). It was also “very good” at +52 (69% satisfied, 17% dissatisfied) among those of the opinion that he serves the middle class, and was a “good” +33 (61% satisfied, 28% dissatisfied) for those who chose the rich.

The SWS compared the figures with those of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, which showed a shift in perception — over seven survey rounds — to that of her overwhelmingly favoring the rich as of September 2007 from being biased for the poor in early 2001.

Mr. Aquino, in contrast, started his term with most Filipinos seeing him as pro-middle class. As of the latest survey, more see him as pro-poor and fewer consider him favoring the rich.

Representatives of Mrs. Arroyo, who is now a congressman for Pampanga, were not immediately available for comment. She is currently detained in a hospital awaiting trial for alleged electoral fraud.

Asked to comment on the president’s latest satisfaction ratings, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail F. Valte said the Palace would “have to take a closer look at the numbers…”

Budget Secretary Florencio B. Abad, meanwhile, said: “The bulk of his votes in 2010 came from the middle class; in fact, it was that sector that urged him to run for President.”

He claimed that Mr. Aquino remained committed to his campaign pledge of uplifting the poor, saying: “as the poverty reduction program of the administration further deepens and accelerates and thus becomes broadly felt, you will observe greater and greater approval coming from the poorer sectors.”

The SWS’s First Quarter Social Weather Report used face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults nationwide. The sampling error margins are ±3% for national and ±6% for area percentages. — Businessworld with a report from J. P. D. Poblete