Robredo satisfaction rating dips to ‘moderate’ in new SWS poll

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo saw a decline in her net satisfaction rating in the second quarter of 2019, the latest Social Weather Stations survey showed.

Results of the poll showed Robredo’s net satisfaction rating was down by 14 points from +42 or “good” in March to +28 or “moderate” in June.

This, after 57% of the 1,200 adult respondents said they are satisfied with the performance of the vice president, while 29% said they are dissatisfied.

The polling firm said Robredo’s steep decline was mostly due to decreases in Visayas, Mindanao and Balance Luzon. Her net satisfaction rating dipped from “very good” +65 in March to “good” +44 in Visayas, from “good” +33 to “moderate” +15 in Mindanao and “good” +46 to “moderate” +33 in Metro Manila.

Her net satisfaction rating, meanwhile, stayed “moderate” +14 in Metro Manila from March to June.

“Compared to March 2019, the June 2019 survey found double-digit declines in Vice President Robredo’s net satisfaction rating in all basic socio-demographics, except for the single-digit changes among class E (down from +50 to +42), the 18 to 24 year olds (up slightly from +29 to +30) and college graduates (up from +6 to +13),” SWS noted.

Separate survey from Pulse Asia released last week showed that Robredo received a 55% approval rating and a 52% trust rating in the second quarter of the year. The pollster noted that she enjoys majority approval in most geographic areas and socio-economic groups, with only residents of Metro Manila and those in class ABC withholding majority scores from her.

The SWS survey was conducted from June 22 to 26, shortly after a Chinese vessel rammed a Philippine fishing boat near Recto Bank in the West Philippine Sea. Robredo, who decried the “irresponsible actions” of the Chinese crew, visited the Filipino fishermen and provided them financial assistance.

Robredo, who has also been supportive of a United Nations review of the government's campaign against illegal drugs, has been the target of barbs and remarks from the president and his allies.

RELATED: 'It's nothing': Robredo shrugs off Locsin's 'boba' retort

As the highest-ranking elected member of the Liberal Party, she has also been tagged in supposed destabliization and ouster plots against President Duterte.

The vice president is among the respondents in inciting to sedition and other raps that the Philippine National Police filed this month over another supposed conspiracy to discredit the president.

Arroyo also suffers decline; Sotto maintains ‘very good’ rating

The final net satisfaction rating of former Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was recorded at -17, classified by SWS as “poor.” Her June rating was slightly down from the “poor” -20 she obtained in March.

Only 29% were satisfied with the performance of the former lawmaker from Pampanga, while 49% were dissatisfied.

Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, meanwhile, maintained his “very good” net satisfaction rating. In June, 72% expressed satisfaction with his performance as the leader of the upper chamber, while only 13% said they are dissatisfied.

Although his net satisfaction rating was slightly down from +61 in March to +60 in June, Sotto’s score remained “very good.”

Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin’s net satisfaction rating, while slightly down from +14 in March to +13 in June, remained “moderate.”

Supreme Court, Cabinet at record-high “very good”

Net satisfaction rating with the Supreme Court and the Cabinet achieved a fresh record high in the second quarter of the year.

The high court’s net satisfaction rating stayed “very good” +54 from the previous record of +50 in March.

The Cabinet also saw an increase in its net satisfaction rating: from “good” +44 in March to a new record high “very good” +51 in June.

The survey has sampling error margins of ±3% for national percentages, and ±6% each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.