71% satisfied with Villar; Noli gets 64% poll rating
Satisfaction ratings for Vice President Noli de Castro and Senate President Manuel Villar Jr. have hit an all-time high, according to the latest survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).
Villar received a net satisfaction rating of 59 with 71 percent satisfied and 13 percent dissatisfied with his performance.
This sets a 12-point record increase from his 47 net rating last September.
De Castro obtained a net satisfaction rating of 41, with 64 percent satisfied and 23 percent dissatisfied with his performance, according to the latest survey.
“Senator Villar’s net satisfaction rating of 59 is his personal record-high as Senate president, coming second to the record-high net 61 of Senate President Neptali Gonzales in September 1992,” the SWS said. “Vice President De Castro’s latest net satisfaction rating of 41 is his personal record-high since he took office three years ago.”
The survey results came amid reports that the opposition and administration parties are eyeing De Castro and Villar as possible contenders in the 2010 presidential race.
Meanwhile, public sentiment remains neutral on the performance of Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. (37 percent satisfied and 37 percent dissatisfied, or net 1, correctly rounded), and Chief Justice Reynato Puno (32 percent satisfied and 34 percent dissatisfied, or net -2).
Both De Venecia and Puno’s net satisfaction ratings have been in single digits, the latter since December 2004 and the former since March 2007, the survey firm said.
The survey also found public satisfaction declining for the Senate, the Supreme Court, the House of Representatives, and the Cabinet as a whole.
The SWS said public satisfaction for the top four government institutions significantly declined compared to the previous quarter.
The survey found 47 percent satisfied and 29 percent dissatisfied with the performance of the Senate, for a net rating of +19, correctly rounded.
It found 35 percent satisfied and 31 percent dissatisfied with the performance of the House of Representatives, for a net rating of +3, correctly rounded.
The survey also found 37 percent satisfied and 32 percent dissatisfied with the Supreme Court, for a net rating of +5, while with the Cabinet, 29 percent were satisfied and 38 percent were dissatisfied, or a net -9.
The Senate declined from net +32 in September to +19 in December.
The House of Representatives’ net satisfaction score fell from +18 to +3, turning neutral after ranging from +11 to +20 in the past three quarters.
The Supreme Court dropped from +24 in September to neutral net +5 in December. It has been at double-digit positive over the past four quarters, ranging from +12 to +24.
The Cabinet went from neutral net +1 to -9, returning to negative level of March 2006. It last scored a double-digit positive rating three years ago.
The survey, conducted from Nov. 30 to Dec. 3, used face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults divided into random samples of 300 each in Metro Manila, the balance of
It has sampling error margins of plus or minus three percent for national percentages and plus or minus six percent for area percentages.
“The quarterly Social Weather Surveys on public satisfaction with the Vice-President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and the top government institutions are not commissioned, but are done on SWS’s own initiative and released as a public service,” the SWS said.
Elated over results
Senate President Manuel Villar Jr. expressed elation yesterday over the results of the latest SWS survey.
“I am deeply honored by this overwhelming expression of satisfaction by the people we serve. This is certainly welcome news at the start of the year which should prod us to accomplish more,” Villar said.
“I share this with all my colleagues in the Senate who have demonstrated exemplary performance in making the institution most relevant and trustworthy,” he said.
De Castro also conveyed his gratitude for the survey results but said it also poses a challenge to him to do even better in his next two years in government.
“I am humbled by the results as all my hard work and perseverance in performing my tasks as Vice President, housing chairman and presidential adviser on overseas Filipino workers are recognized by our people. I value their trust and confidence,” De Castro said.
Presidential Management Staff director general Cerge Remonde said that the net satisfaction rating of positive 41 registered by De Castro was well-deserved.
“He has been doing a great job as Vice President and HUDCC chair, among others,” Remonde said.
He added that De Castro’s “political stock” is growing and that politicians have taken notice just as the public has.
While De Castro admitted his plans to join the 2010 presidential elections, he stressed that he does not want his performance to be seen as part of a campaign for the presidency.
De Castro likewise reiterated that he has not committed to joining a particular political party but he has received invitations from some of them.
President Arroyo, he said, has not discussed or invited him to join the Lakas administration party.
Gauge of performance
The President’s Cabinet, which got a –9 net satisfaction rating for the last quarter, would rather look at the economic numbers as a gauge of their performance rather than the satisfaction ratings indicated in the surveys.
Interviewed at Malacañang yesterday, Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno said he believes the low satisfaction rating of the Cabinet was brought about by a lack of information about their work by the public.
Puno said that as far as the Cabinet is concerned, the economic numbers serve as their benchmark.
“The SWS survey is one thing, the dollar-peso rate is another thing, the inflation rate is another thing, the job creation numbers are another thing (but) I would rather measure our peers in the Cabinet and ourselves in terms of our performance by the hard statistics and economic evidence rather than what people think we have done,” Puno said.
The peso consistently moved up against the
The stock market has been strong and though revenue collection was below target during the first half of 2007, the government still managed to make up some ground during the second half.
Puno said that public perception is still important for the Cabinet but “the most important thing is what the facts will say have actually been done.”
“I think that the results will speak for themselves,” Puno said. - With Aurea Calica, Marvin Sy, Pia Lee-Brago
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