President Benigno S. Aquino III shares the stage with the University Athletic Association of the Philippines women’s volleyball back-to-back champion Ateneo de Manila University Lady Eagles, led by two-time UAAP women’s volleyball Most Valuable Player Alyssa Valdez, and UAAP Season 77 women’s volleyball 1st Runner Up De La Salle University Lady Spikers for a group photo souvenir during the special luncheon with both teams at the Heroes Hall of the Malacañan Palace on Tuesday (March 24). (MNS photo)
MANILA (Mabuhay) – After the Jan. 25 Mamasapano clash, President Benigno Aquino III is no longer the most trusted top government official, his ratings having dropped to a record low last week, according to Pulse Asia survey results released Thursday.
Senate President Franklin Drilon replaced Aquino at the top of the list, having garnered the highest trust ratings among the top 5 government officials: 44 percent of respondents giving them his nod.
Vice President Jejomar Binay is a close second, scoring a 42 percent trust rating.
As earlier reported by Pulse Asia, Aquino’s trust ratings nosedived to 36 percent this month from 56 percent last November. He was the most trusted top official four months ago.
House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, meanwhile, has the lowest approval and trust ratings at 27% and 23%, respectively. His approval and trust ratings in Metro Manila dropped by 14 and 13 percentage points, respectively.
Belmonte also suffered a drop in his approval rating in Class ABC (-19 percentage points), a decrease in the level of trust among those in Class D (-10 percentage points), and an increase in the level of indecision toward his performance among those in Class ABC (+17 percentage points).
Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno has the second lowest approval and trust ratings at 29% and 27%, respectively.
The survey was conducted over a month after the botched January 25 Mamasapano operation in Maguindanao, which left over 60 people dead, including 44 police commandos.
It was conducted March 1 to 7 using face-to-face interviews with 1,200 respondents. The survey has a ±3 percent error margin at the 95-percent confidence level.