PNoy’s ratings drop after DAP ruling —Pulse Asia

(Updated 11:38 a.m.) President Benigno Aquino III’s approval and trust ratings plunged after the Supreme Court (SC) declared his administration’s Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) as partially unconstitutional, pollster Pulse Asia said Monday.

Even with the arrest and detention of senators in connection with the alleged pork barrel scam, the President’s approval ratings dropped to 56 percent from 70 percent last March, Pulse Asia said.

Aquino’s trust ratings also fell to 53 percent from 69 percent four months ago, according to the polling body.

The Pulse Asia survey was conducted on 1,200 Filipino adults from June 24 to July 2 this year, covering the period of Senators Ramon Revilla Jr. and Jinggoy Estrada’s arrests on plunder charges, as well as the SC ruling on the DAP.

On July 1, the SC announced that it has declared certain acts under the government’s DAP as unconstitutional, including the declaration of unobligated and unprogrammed funds as savings, the transfers of savings from one government branch to another, and the funding of projects not stated in the national budget.

Malacañang has repeatedly said that the DAP was undertaken in good faith to boost the country’s economic performance.

Similarly, pollster Social Weather Stations also reported that Aquino’s satisfaction rating dropped to an all-time low during the second quarter of 2014, based on a survey conducted before the DAP ruling.

President Aquino is expected to address DAP controversies in a televised speech later in the day.

Big drop in upper, middle classes

The decline in President Aquino’s trust and approval ratings was observed across all economic classes and in all parts of the country.

The biggest drop was, however, observed in the trust ratings given by upper- and middle-class Filipinos to Aquino.

The President’s trust rating from respondents coming from the ABC economic classes nosedived from 62 percent last March to 42 percent.

Aquino’s approval rating from the same economic classes also tumbled to 48 percent from 62 percent four months ago.

In terms of geographic areas, Aquino suffered the largest decline in approval ratings in Mindanao (61 percent from 80 percent), and the biggest drop in trust ratings in Luzon, excluding Metro Manila (51 percent from 70 percent).

Aside from the pork barrel and the DAP controversies, other issues during the survey period include the rising prices of basic commodities, the continuing territorial dispute between China and the Philippines, and Aquino’s decision not to declare Nora Aunor as National Artist. —KG/RSJ, GMA News