‘High optimism due to government COVID-19 response’

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang yesterday attributed the “very high” net personal optimism of Filipinos to the government’s pandemic response, saying it was able to promote compliance with health protocols while taking care of the country’s economy.

A nationwide poll by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) conducted from April 19 to 27 found 44 percent of adult Filipinos saying their quality of life will improve and only four percent saying it will worsen, for a “very high” net personal optimism of +39. About 39 percent of the respondents predicted no change in their quality of life while 13 percent did not provide an answer.

However, the net personal optimism score for April is lower by three points than the “excellent” +42 score recorded last December. It was also five points below the pre-pandemic “excellent” score of +44 posted in December 2019, the SWS said.

Despite the dip in net personal optimism, the Duterte administration welcomed the poll results, describing its response to the COVID-19 pandemic as a “success.”

“Indeed, the Duterte administration has put premium on both health and the economy,” acting presidential spokesman Martin Andanar said in a statement.

“Central to the success of our pandemic response is maintaining our vigilance against COVID-19 with strict adherence to minimum public health standards while ensuring the country’s socioeconomic recovery, where livelihood opportunities are available, hunger is eased, and quality of life is improved,” he added.

During the Duterte Legacy Summit last month, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea claimed that the Philippines managed to bounce back to a “better” financial standing despite the effects of the pandemic. He also praised what he described as the “unconventional but very effective” style of President Duterte and the “relentless” support given by government workers to the administration’s policies.

The SWS survey used face-to-face interviews of 1,440 adults nationwide. Its sampling error margins are plus or minus 2.6 percent for national percentages and plus or minus 5.2 percent for Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.