Only in the Philippines!

MANILA, Philippines - One in two Filipino adults is dissatisfied with the performance of the Arroyo administration, bringing its new net satisfaction rating to -20, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) said in its recent survey.

The Third Quarter 2009 Social Weather Survey found 30 percent of adults satisfied and 50 percent are dissatisfied with the overall performance of the national administration, for a “poor” net satisfaction rating of -20.


The non-commissioned survey, conducted from Sept. 18 to 21, used face-to-face interviews of 1,800 adults divided into random samples of 300 each in Metro Manila and Mindanao, and 600 each in balance of Luzon and the Visayas.

SWS said the net satisfaction rating of the present administration has been poor for three consecutive quarters since February 2009, when it was at -19.

The latest net satisfaction rating of the administration is nine points lower than the -11 in June 2009, the SWS said.

The net satisfaction rating is the difference between the percentage of satisfied and unsatisfied responses.

SWS defined net satisfaction ratings as follows: +50 and above, “very good”; +30 to +49, “good”; +10 to +29, “moderate”; +9 to -9, “neutral”; -10 to -29, “poor”; -30 to -49, “bad”; -50 or lower, “very bad.”

Meanwhile, the survey firm also asked the respondents to rate the performance of the Arroyo administration on specific issues.

“Of the 14 issues tested in the survey, the public rated the National Administration as good on one issue, moderate on five issues, neutral on five issues, and poor on three issues,” the SWS said.

The national administration scored a “good” net satisfaction rating of +31 on the issue of protecting the public from the outbreak of diseases.

It received moderate ratings on the issues of ensuring that all food products in the market are safe (+29), promoting the welfare of OFWs (+19), ensuring that medicine is affordable (+18), foreign relations (+12), and helping the poor (+10).

It scored neutral ratings on fighting terrorism (+5), reconciliation with Muslim rebels (+3), reconciliation with communist rebels (+3), campaigning against illegal drugs (+3), and fighting crime (-8).

It scored poor ratings on fighting inflation (-19), ensuring no family will ever be hungry and have nothing to eat (-20), and eradicating graft and corruption (-28).

The latest poll showed that public satisfaction improved on three issues.

“Compared to when last surveyed by SWS, the net satisfaction ratings of the National Administration were better on three out of 14 issues,” it said.

It switched from negative neutral to positive neutral for reconciliation with communist rebels, up by nine points from -6 in March 2005 to +3 in September 2009.

It became more positive for ensuring that all food products in the market are safe, up by five points from moderate +24 in February 2009 to +29, and for ensuring that medicine is affordable, up by four points from moderate +14 in June 2009 to +18.

Sampling error margins of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points for national percentages, plus or minus six percentage points for Metro Manila and Mindanao, and plus or minus four percentage points for balance Luzon and the Visayas were applied in the survey.

Malacañang: GMA’s accomplishments unappreciated

Meanwhile, Malacañang believes that the achievements of President Arroyo remain unappreciated and takes the recent SWS survey as a challenge for all the appointees of the President to work even harder to make the people realize what she is doing for the country.

Reacting to the survey showing that 50 percent of Filipinos are dissatisfied with the performance of the Arroyo administration in general, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde attempted to fall on his sword and take some of the blame for failing to convey to the people the efforts being taken by Mrs. Arroyo to improve their lives.

“We consider that as a challenge to work harder and for my part as press secretary, that is a challenge for me to help people realize all the good things that President Arroyo is doing for them,” Remonde said. – With Marvin Sy

By Helen Flores
The Philippine Star