MANILA, April 6 (PNA) — Malacañang on Monday said the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey shows that the public understood President Benigno S. Aquino III’s position on the Mamasapano incident.
Communication Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. noted that while President Aquino’s approval rating dropped based on the SWS poll, the President got higher figures than the Pulse Asia survey that was conducted three weeks earlier.
“While there has been a decline in the President’s satisfaction rating (down to 47 percent from 63 percent), it is evident that a higher number of Filipinos — (50 percent who oppose his resignation; and 47 percent who expressed satisfaction) — affirm their belief in his leadership and outnumber those who are dissatisfied (36 percent) or prefer that he resign from office (32 percent),” Coloma said in a statement.
A significant segment is undecided about his performance (17 percent) and about his resignation (18 percent), he said, adding this represents an opportunity to reach out to those who are undecided or ambivalent in their sentiments towards the President and the administration, to eventually win them over.
Coloma pointed out that the survey was taken on March 20 to 23, three weeks after Pulse Asia’s public opinion survey conducted on March 1 to 7.
“It is possible that, having gathered more information about current events—and having been able to know and understand better the President’s position on the Mamasapano incident—the people gave the President a higher satisfaction rating in the SWS survey (47 percent) than the performance approval rating that he obtained in the Pulse Asia survey (38 percent),” he said
Despite the drop in ratings, the Palace official assured that the government remains focused on its priority programs, such as infrastructure development, employment generation, poverty reduction, and improved social protection.
“The President and his Cabinet are firmly determined to carry on with the implementation of salient reform and development programs geared toward achieving the primary objective of attaining inclusive growth and improving the quality of life of their bosses—the Filipino people,” Coloma said.
“Transparent and responsive governance along the righteous path will be pursued, so that public institutions may be strengthened, the transformation process may be sustained and that the concrete gains achieved will become permanent,” he said.
The March 20 to 23 SWS survey interviewed 1,200 adults nationwide. (PNA)