Helen Flores
Philippine Star

Less people are dissatisfied with President Arroyo although her rating remains poor as she faces a new impeachment complaint, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) said in a recent survey.

The non-commissioned survey among 1,500 adults, conducted from Sept. 24 to 27, found that 27 percent are satisfied and 54 percent are dissatisfied with the President’s performance “for a poor yet improved net rating of -27,” the SWS said.

SWS said results of its Third Quarter 2008 survey are better than in June 2008 when Mrs. Arroyo got -38 net rating (22 percent satisfied and 60 percent dissatisfied).

Jose “Joey” de Venecia III, Iloilo Vice Gov. Rolex Suplico and lawyer Harry Roque yesterday filed a new impeachment complaint against the President accusing her of, among others, betrayal of public trust.

This was the fourth impeachment case filed against her since she assumed the presidency in 2001.

The latest survey showed the President’s rating going back to the level of the first quarter of this year when 27 percent were satisfied and 54 percent were dissatisfied, or net -26, the SWS said.

SWS attributed the net rating improvement to lessening dissatisfaction in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Reacting to the survey, Malacañang said the results were encouraging.

Press Secretary Jesus Dureza and Presidential Adviser for Political Affairs Gabriel Claudio, in separate statements, said they expect the ratings of the President to improve further.

“There is apparently an increasing appreciation of the President’s leadership and policies especially in managing or fortifying the country’s preparedness against crisis situations and protecting the common Filipino from their harmful consequences,” Claudio said.

Dureza said the improvement in Mrs. Arroyo’s ratings “encourages everybody in the team to work harder in a time like this.”

“Surveys are merely indicators but if there’s a noticeable improvement in the numbers, these provide encouragement,” he said.

In the latest SWS survey, net satisfaction with Mrs. Arroyo became less negative in the Visayas at net -14 (34 percent satisfied, 48 percent dissatisfied), from net -33 (23 percent satisfied, 56 percent dissatisfied) last June.

Dissatisfaction also eased in Mindanao to net -21 (30 percent satisfied, 50 percent dissatisfied) from net -41 (21 percent satisfied, 62 percent dissatisfied) previously.

Net satisfaction with Mrs. Arroyo in balance Luzon recovered slightly to net -32 (24 percent satisfied, 57 percent dissatisfied) from net -38 (22 percent satisfied, 60 percent dissatisfied) in June.

It also recovered slightly in Metro Manila to net -36 in September (21 percent satisfied, 58 percent dissatisfied) from net -40 (23 percent satisfied, 63 percent dissatisfied) in June.

Urban satisfaction with the President was 28 percent in September, up from 22 percent in June, while dissatisfaction fell to 54 percent from 60 percent. This puts her urban net rating up to -26 from a previous -38.

Rural satisfaction rose to 26 percent from 22 percent while dissatisfaction went to 54 percent from 60 percent, bringing her rural net rating up to -28 from -37.

Dissatisfaction with the country’s chief executive also lessened in all socio-economic classes, the SWS said.

Dissatisfaction with Mrs. Arroyo eased among class E at net -32 (23 percent satisfied, 55 percent dissatisfied) in September, from net -45 (20 percent satisfied, 65 percent dissatisfied) in June.

It lessened among class D or the common masses at -24 (29 percent satisfied, 53 percent dissatisfied) from -35 (23 percent satisfied, 58 percent dissatisfied) before.

SWS said net satisfaction with Mrs. Arroyo also improved among the middle-to-upper classes ABC at -27 (29 percent satisfied, 56 percent dissatisfied) in September from -37 (22 percent satisfied, 59 percent dissatisfied) in June.

Meanwhile, the SWS said Mrs. Arroyo received a “very bad net” -50 (17 percent satisfied and 67 percent dissatisfied) in its July 2008 survey commissioned by Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez.

SWS however said the demographic details of Mrs. Arroyo’s satisfaction rating in the July 2008 Suarez-commissioned survey are still under embargo.

The SWS Third Quarter 2008 survey used face-to-face interviews of 1,500 adults divided into random samples of 300 each in Metro Manila, the balance of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

It has sampling error margins of plus or minus three percent for national percentages and plus or minus six percent for area percentages.

– With Paolo Romero