Drilon most trusted official; Noy drops to 3rd

MANILA, Philippines - Senate President Franklin Drilon emerged as the most trusted government official in the first quarter survey of Pulse Asia.

Drilon received the highest trust ratings among the top five officials of the country at 44 percent, up from 42 percent in November last year, according to the Pulse Asia survey taken from March 1 to 7.

Vice President Jejomar Binay received 42 percent trust rating, slightly lower than his November score of 44 percent.

Binay and Drilon edged out President Aquino, whose approval and trust ratings plummeted to 38 percent from 59 and 36 percent from 56, respectively.

Aquino’s trust and approval scores were the lowest he received since he assumed office in 2010, Pulse Asia said.

Malacañang is not bothered with the decline in the President’s trust and approval ratings, according to Presidential Communications and Operations Office chief Herminio Coloma Jr.

“The President is determined to fulfill his promises to his bosses, the Filipino people,” Coloma said in an e-mail to Palace reporters.

He said Aquino abides by his sworn duties and serves in accordance with his judgment on what is best for the nation.

Meanwhile, fewer Filipinos expressed trust in Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

Belmonte obtained a trust rating of 23 percent in March from the previous 31 percent, while Sereno got 27 percent from 33.

Pulse Asia said Binay enjoyed a big plurality to small majority approval ratings (44 to 53 percent) in the rest of Luzon, Mindanao, and Classes D and E.

In Metro Manila, almost the same percentages of residents either approve or disapprove of vice presidential performance in the past three months (39 percent versus 37 percent).

In the Visayas, Binay registered essentially the same approval and indecision ratings (44 percent versus 32 percent).

In Class ABC, public opinion is split three ways as 38 percent are critical, 37 appreciative and 25 percent ambivalent toward vice presidential work.

Half of those in Class E (50 percent) expressed trust in Binay, while he posted “big plurality” trust ratings in the Visayas and Mindanao (43 percent and 46 percent, respectively).

Drilon garnered a majority approval and trust ratings in the Visayas (56 percent and 53 percent, respectively) and Mindanao (62 percent and 53 percent, respectively).

He received “near to small majority” approval scores from those in Classes D and E (48 percent and 56 percent, respectively).

The Senate president recorded almost the same approval and indecision ratings in Metro Manila (40 percent versus 37 percent), the rest of Luzon (43 percent versus 45 percent) and Class ABC (38 percent versus 41 percent).

On the other hand, public assessment of Drilon’s trustworthiness is split three-ways in Metro Manila, with 38 percent trusting him, 36 percent being undecided and 26 percent expressing outright distrust.

In the rest of Luzon and all socio-economic groupings, basically the same trust and indecision figures are recorded by Drilon (33 percent to 46 percent versus 35 percent to 43 percent).

Belmonte recorded “near to small majority” indecision ratings in both his performance and trustworthiness in Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, the Visayas and all socio-economic groupings (45 percent to 60 percent and 45 percent to 58 percent, respectively).

In Mindanao, a “near majority” or 46 percent cannot say if they trust or distrust the Speaker but almost the same percentages either approve of his work or are ambivalent on the matter (35 percent versus 43 percent).

Sereno received “near to small majority” indecision ratings in relation to both her performance and trustworthiness from those in the rest of Luzon, the Visayas and Classes D and E (49 percent to 54 percent and 49 percent to 55 percent, respectively).

Forty-five percent of Metro Manilans are also ambivalent about Sereno’s quarterly performance while essentially the same percentages of Mindanaoans are either appreciative of the same (39 percent) or undecided on the matter (36 percent).

Public opinion about the Chief Justice’s work in the last three months is split three-ways in Class ABC, with 35 percent expressing approval, 38 percent ambivalent, and 25 percent criticizing the same.

With regard to her trustworthiness, Sereno registered the same trust and indecision ratings in Mindanao (both at 39 percent) while she obtained the same distrust and indecision figures in Metro Manila (33 percent versus 45 percent).

In Class ABC, Sereno recorded about the same trust, indecision, and distrust figures, 31 percent, 40 percent, and 27 percent, respectively. – With Delon Porcalla, Edith Regalado, Christina Mendez