Noy on high ratings: Bold reforms to continue

VLADIVOSTOK – President Aquino hinted here late Saturday that he would push ahead with bold reforms he initiated in government, especially since the Filipino masses have shown their trust in him through his sustained high ratings.

Speaking to Manila-based reporters, Aquino said he was always conscious of his mandate, and that he was just an instrument of what people really wanted in government – transparency and accountability.

“The point here is that whatever has to be faced, a decision has to be made,” he said in Filipino. “And that’s the mandate given to me by the people.”

“You’re made the chief, the head, you have to make the decisions. Now what I’ve added is that I consult my bosses first.

“We’re not taking risks here for the sake of making thrills. In the end, I will argue that if there was right or wrong, what’s right should be the course of action pursued.”

Aquino cited as example the use of rubber boats to help those trapped in floodwaters.

He said his role is to put the system in place, with a little fine-tuning now and then.

“What is the right solution for the problem at hand? At times it may be unpopular and your ratings will drop, but that is what is needed. Rather than make a popular decision that will only worsen the problem,” he added.

Aquino said the removal of Renato Corona as chief justice was just the start of the reforms he wanted in the bureaucracy.

“Of course, now when we file administrative cases against justices involved in anomalies, we’ll rely on Chief Justice Sereno to come up with an immediate solution.”

Aquino said the impeachment was not a personal crusade against Corona, but an advocacy against the system.

“He was the personification of what is wrong with the system, which means there are other ills that must be addressed.”

Earlier, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the third quarter survey of the Social Weather Stations that indicated a soaring 77 percent satisfaction rating of Aquino – the highest he has received since 2010 – is an affirmation of people’s trust in him.

“Public confidence and trust in the President also suggests high morale in a public increasingly empowered, and itself sustained in its positive feeling about our nation’s direction and prospects for the future,” he said.

Lacierda said this latest rating also represents an impressive 14-point jump from Aquino’s 63 percent satisfaction rating in the May 2012 second quarter survey.

“The consistently strong numbers affirm the President’s mandate for change; they are tangible indicators of the people’s support for the difficult yet necessary reforms the President has championed since day one,” he said.

“These results mirror the strong showing of the Philippines, especially with respect to its institutions and governance, in the recent Global Competitiveness Report of the World Economic Forum.”

always conscious of his mandate, and that he was just an instrument of what people really wanted in government – transparency and accountability.

“The point here is that whatever has to be faced, a decision has to be made,” he said in Filipino. “And that’s the mandate given to me by the people.”

“You’re made the chief, the head, you have to make the decisions. Now what I’ve added is that I consult my bosses first.

“We’re not taking risks here for the sake of making thrills. In the end, I will argue that if there was right or wrong, what’s right should be the course of action pursued.”

Aquino cited as example the use of rubber boats to help those trapped in floodwaters.

He said his role is to put the system in place, with a little fine-tuning now and then.

“What is the right solution for the problem at hand? At times it may be unpopular and your ratings will drop, but that is what is needed. Rather than make a popular decision that will only worsen the problem,” he added.

Aquino said the removal of Renato Corona as chief justice was just the start of the reforms he wanted in the bureaucracy.

“Of course, now when we file administrative cases against justices involved in anomalies, we’ll rely on Chief Justice Sereno to come up with an immediate solution.”

Aquino said the impeachment was not a personal crusade against Corona, but an advocacy against the system.

“He was the personification of what is wrong with the system, which means there are other ills that must be addressed.”

Earlier, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the third quarter survey of the Social Weather Stations that indicated a soaring 77 percent satisfaction rating of Aquino – the highest he has received since 2010 – is an affirmation of people’s trust in him.

“Public confidence and trust in the President also suggests high morale in a public increasingly empowered, and itself sustained in its positive feeling about our nation’s direction and prospects for the future,” he said.

Lacierda said this latest rating also represents an impressive 14-point jump from Aquino’s 63-percent satisfaction rating in the May 2012 second quarter survey. –Delon Porcalla (The Philippine Star)