SWS: Gov’t rating sinks to record low

MANILA, Philippines – Public satisfaction with the Aquino administration plummeted to a record low in the latest survey by Social Weather Stations Inc. (SWS).

The SWS first quarter survey showed that the government received a net satisfaction score of “moderate” +19 (48 percent satisfied and 29 percent dissatisfied) in March, down by 15 points from a “good” +34 (58 percent satisfied and 24 percent dissatisfied) in December 2014.

This was the lowest rating received by the administration since Aquino assumed the presidency in June 2010, the pollster said.

Reacting to the survey, Palace officials said yesterday they are aware of the people’s sentiments and the need for improvement, as they vowed to focus more on uplifting the lives of Filipinos.

“We are aware that there is significant room for improvement and that we need to continually ascertain the sentiments of our bosses, the Filipino people,” Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. told reporters in a text message.

“The Aquino administration is firmly determined to carry on and complete priority programs in all five pillars of the Philippine development plan, to ensure that reforms will be sustained by strengthened public institutions, to tread the righteous path and ensure that good governance becomes the norm at all levels of government, and to sustain and make permanent the gains from the transformation of mindsets and institutions,” Coloma added.

In a press briefing yesterday, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte pointed out that what is most important is that Aquino leaves behind “a legacy of good governance” that will become the norm even after he steps down from the presidency in June 2016.

“More than the surveys or his ratings, the President is concerned about leaving a legacy of good governance. He has always said this in the past, that he wants good governance to be a demandable right from citizens,” Valte said.

‘Temporary setback’

Lawmakers expressed belief yesterday that the Aquino administration’s satisfaction ratings will recover in the coming months.

– Delon Porcalla, Paolo Romero, Helen Flores, Jess Diaz

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