The survey, conducted from December 8 to 15, 2013, showed both Aquino and Binay registering majority approval and trust ratings. However, Aquino’s ratings declined while Binay’s went up.
Aquino’s approval rating went down from 79 in September to 73 in December, while his trust rating plunged from 76 in September to 74 in December.
Binay, on the other hand, got an approval rating of 80 in December, which was up three notches from 77 in September. His trust rating also went up to 77 in December from 74 in September.
Malacañang has yet to comment on the latest survey, but in an earlier interview, Presidential Communications Operations Office head Herminio Coloma Jr. told GMA News Online that it is not “appropriate” to compare the two.
“The magnitude and depth of the President’s responsibilities are of a higher and different order from those of the Vice President,” he said.
“It must also be pointed out that the incumbent Vice President is a member of the President’s Cabinet and therefore shares in the responsibilities of carrying out the Philippine Development Plan,” Coloma added.
Other officials
Meanwhile, Senate President Franklin Drilon’s approval rating further went down to 43 from September’s 50 while his trust ratings plunged from 46 in September to 40 in December.
In September, the pork barrel scam had adversely affected the public perception of Drilon’s performance.
The recent Pulse Asia survey also showed that “outright disapproval and distrust are more pronounced toward Senate President Drilon (both at 21%), House Speaker Belmonte (18% and 20%, respectively), and Supreme Court Chief Justice Sereno (18% and 17%, respectively) compared to President Aquino (10% and 9%, respectively) and Vice-President Binay (5% and 6%, respectively).”
Govt institutions
Of the three key government institutions rated in December, the Supreme Court registered a majority approval rating of 52 percent, although this was lower than last September’s 53.
The Senate, despite the six percentage increase from 39 in September, still did not get a majority approval rating with only 45. The House of Representatives, on the other hand, got a five percentage point increase from 37 in September to 42 in December.
The three government institutions also did not register a majority trust ratings.
Among the issues hounding the country while the survey was being conducted were the rising death toll due to Typhoon Yolanda, the ongoing rehabilitation efforts in Leyte and other areas hit by the super typhoon, the designation of former Senator Panfilo M. Lacson as the rehabilitation czar, and the “word war” between Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez regarding the perceived failure of the national government to respond quickly and effectively to the needs of those affected by the typhoon.
The survey used 1,200 adults all over the country and has an error margin of ± 3 percent at 95 percent confidence level. — Amita O. Legaspi/KBK, GMA News
