Binay suffers big drop in performance, trust ratings

MANILA, Philippines - Vice President Jejomar Binay suffered a huge decline in his performance and trust ratings amid the corruption allegations hurled against him, according to the latest Pulse Asia survey.

Results of the survey released on Tuesday showed that Binay's approval rating dropped from 81 percent in June to 66 percent in September. His trust rating also fell from 79 percent to 64 percent.

The decline in Binay's performance and trust ratings occurred in Metro Manila (16 and 14 percentage points, respectively) and the rest of Luzon (-16 and -14 percentage points, respectively).

Binay's approval score in Class ABC and trust score in Mindanao also decreased (-19 and -14 percentage points, respectively).

Meanwhile, indecision on Binay's performance and trustworthiness became more manifest not only at the national level (both at +8 percentage points) but also in Class D (both at +11 percentage points). The indecision also went up in the Visayas (+13 percentage points).

Despite his ratings drop, Binay still enjoys the highest scores among the top five national leaders: President Benigno Aquino (approval rating of 55 percent and trust rating of 54 percent), Senate President Franklin Drilon (39 percent and 37 percent), House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte (30 percent and 27 percent) and Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno (33 percent and 30 percent).

Pulse Asia said only Binay succeeded in scoring majority approval and trust ratings in every geographic area (55 percent to 75 percent and 53 percent to 70 percent, respectively) and socio-economic groupings (54 percent to 71 percent and 52 percent to 70 percent, respectively).

In the case of the President, he posted majority approval and trust ratings in the Visayas (65 percent and 61 percent, respectively), Mindanao (68 percent and 65 percent, respectively), Class D (54 percent and 52 percent, respectively), and Class E (both at 61 percent).

Appreciation and trust are the plurality sentiments toward Aquino in Metro Mania (48 percent and 47 percent, respectively), the rest of Luzon (46 percent and 48 percent, respectively), and Class ABC (48 percent and 49 percent, respectively).

Drilon also suffered a decline in his overall approval and trust ratings (-13 and -9 percentage points, respectively). Appreciation for and trust in the Senate President become less pronounced in Mindanao (-18 and -15 percentage points, respectively) and Class D (-15 and -11 percentage points, respectively). Drilon also experienced a drop in his approval rating in the rest of Luzon (-13 percentage points).

The Pulse Asia survey was conducted from September 8 to 15 and polled 1,200 respondents nationwide. It was done amid the ongoing Senate investigation into the reported overpriced Makati City Hall Building II, with witnesses claiming, among other things, that Binay rigged public biddings and received kickbacks from various Makati City projects.

The accusations against Binay also affected his scores in the Pulse Asia presidential poll.