Aquino, Binay ratings drop

Chief Justice’s satisfaction mark goes up – SWS poll

SATISFACTION ratings of both President Benigno Aquino 3rd and Vice President Jejomar Binay have dropped by five percent, the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey revealed on Friday.

Approval marks of other high officials also skidded, except that of Chief Justice Renato Corona whose score inched up.

The survey results, which were first published in BusinessWord, showed that the satisfaction rating of the Vice President went down by five points to a “very good” +69, with 78 percent satisfied and 9 percent dissatisfied from an “excellent” +74, with 81 percent satisfied and 7 percent dissatisfied in March.

The satisfaction rating of President Aquino plunged from “very good” to “good,” with his net satisfaction rating down to +46 (64 percent indicated approval and 18 percent indicated that they were not satisfied), from +51 in March (69 percent satisfied and 18 percent dissatisfied).

The SWS survey said that Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile’s net score dropped by four points to +39, with 56 percent satisfied and 18 percent dissatisfied from +43, with 62 percent satisfied and 18 percent dissatisfied, but stayed at the “good” level.

It added that House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.’s grade remained at a “moderate” +15, with 37 percent satisfied and 22 percent dissatisfied from +17, with 40 percent satisfied and 22 percent dissatisfied in March.

The survey results also showed that Chief Justice Corona’s score went up to a “neutral” zero from a “neutral” -4 previously.

The Cabinet and the House of Representatives also posted one-point gains in their net satisfaction ratings.

The Cabinet scored a “moderate” +25, with 45 percent satisfied and 21 percent dissatisfied from previous +24, with 47 percent satisfied and 23-percent dissatisfied.

Its score was near the record-high of +27 hit in June 1997 and March 1999.

The House of Representatives netted a “good” +31, with 50 percent satisfied and 20 percent dissatisfied from +30, with 50 percent satisfied and 20 percent dissatisfied previously.

The Supreme Court’s score stayed at a “moderate” +26, with 50 percent satisfied and 24 percent dissatisfied, from 52 percent satisfied and 26 percent dissatisfied in March.

The Senate’s score, however, fell by two points to a “good” +47, with 64 percent satisfied and 16 percent dissatisfied from +49 with 65 percent satisfied and 16 percent dissatisfied previously.

Even with the plunge in his satisfaction rating, Binay also on Friday said that he would continue to strive in helping improve the lives of the people.

In a statement, the Vice President brushed aside the dip in his approval mark, saying that he remained grateful for the “people’s trust and support.”

“Regardless of the results of the survey, the Vice President believes we should not lose focus from our main objective, ang pagandahin ang buhay ng bawat Pilipino(to make the life of every Filipino better). He will continue to work for this objective,” Joey Salgado, Binay’s spokesman, said in an email.

SWS considers net satisfaction ratings 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;” and -70 and below, “execrable.”

Its latest survey, which was conducted on June 3 to 6, 2011, used face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults in Metro Manila, Balance of Luzon (Luzon without Metro Manila), Visayas and Mindanao and had margins of error of plus or minus 3 percent for national percentages and plus or minus 6 percent for area percentages.

SWS said that the second-quarter survey was non-commissioned and conducted on its own initiative. –Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz, Reporter with report from Camille Bernice V. Bauzon, Manila Times