Government gets poor marks in 7 issues

MANILA, Philippines - The Aquino administration has obtained majority approval ratings on only four out of 11 key national issues, including its campaign against corruption and criminality, a recent Pulse Asia survey showed.

Pulse Asia’s March 2012 poll showed that the national administration obtained majority approval scores for its initiatives to fight corruption (60 percent), fight criminality (57 percent), enforce the law equally on all citizens (57 percent), and promote peace (52 percent).

“In general, the performance ratings of the Aquino administration on these issues remain constant between November 2011 and March 2012,” Pulse Asia said in a statement.

The survey was conducted from Feb. 26 to March 9 using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 representative adults 18 years old and above.

Nearly five in 10 or 46 percent are appreciative of the Aquino administration’s environmental efforts but almost the same number of respondents (40 percent) disapproves of its initiative to control the increasing prices of basic goods.

It said inflation is an issue deemed urgent by a sizable majority of Filipinos (68 percent).

Meanwhile, a big plurality of Filipinos (42 percent) cannot say if they approve or disapprove of the Aquino administration’s work in the area of population control.

In addition, the government scored the same approval and indecision ratings in the areas of strengthening public trust in government and its officials (40 percent versus 46 percent), increasing the pay of workers (40 percent versus 35 percent) and creating more jobs (41 percent versus 38 percent).

Filipinos are divided over the administration’s poverty reduction initiatives, with 38 percent being ambivalent on the matter, 32 percent expressing approval and 30 percent being critical of the same.

Pulse Asia noted a seven percentage-point drop on the level of appreciation for the administration’s efforts to create more jobs and control population growth between November 2011 and March 2012.

On the other hand, ambivalence toward the latter’s initiatives in these areas as well as in strengthening public trust in government and its officials becomes more pronounced (7 to 9 percentage points), it said.

“These are the only significant changes in the overall performance ratings of the administration during this time,” the pollster noted.

Pulse Asia said inflation and low pay of workers are the leading urgent national concerns among Filipinos.

Most Filipinos consider controlling inflation (68 percent), increasing the pay of workers (62 percent), fighting corruption in government (53 percent), creating more jobs (53 percent) and reducing poverty (52 percent) as national concerns that should be immediately addressed by the Aquino administration.

The other national concerns considered urgent by Filipinos are promoting national peace (39 percent), protecting the environment (37 percent), enforcing the law equally on all citizens (37 percent) and fighting criminality (31 percent).

Less concern is expressed by Filipinos for other national concerns such as controlling population growth (22 percent), strengthening public trust in government and its officials (21 percent), ensuring a fair trial for Chief Justice Renato Corona (13 percent) and running after former and incumbent government officials who are accused of graft and corruption (12 percent).

Pulse Asia said the need to control the spiraling prices of basic commodities and increase the pay of workers are majority concerns in all geographic areas (64 to 74 percent and 59 to 67 percent, respectively) and socio-economic classes (66 to 71 percent and 55 to 64 percent, respectively).

Fighting corruption is a national concern deemed urgent by most respondents in Metro Manila and those in the rest of Luzon (52 to 57 percent) and Classes ABC and D (53 to 56 percent).

In nearly all geographic areas (53 to 58 percent) and every socio-economic grouping (52 to 54 percent), majorities cited job creation as an urgent national concern except Mindanao (46 percent).

Poverty reduction was also identified as an urgent national concern by most of those in Metro Manila, Visayas and Mindanao (51 to 55 percent) and Classes D and E (52 to 53 percent).

“For the most part, figures recorded across geographic areas and socio-economic groupings are generally consistent with those posted at the national level,” Pulse Asia said.

“An exception is the lower level of concern for environmental degradation registered among Visayans compared to Filipinos as a whole (24 percent versus 37 percent),” it added.

The non-commissioned survey has a plus or minus three percentage points error margin at the 95 percent confidence level.