Tuesday, November 24, 2009
MANILA, Philippines—More than half of Filipinos don’t trust President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and disapprove of her performance with less than six months left in her presidency, according to the latest Pulse Asia survey released Monday.
In the Ulat ng Bayan survey of Pulse Asia conducted on Oct. 22-30, 51 percent were critical of Ms Arroyo’s performance while 52 percent did not trust her, Ronald Holmes, head of the independent pollster, said.
“Every time an administration is about to exit, we expect a drop in their approval and trust ratings,” Holmes said, adding that Ms Arroyo’s lack of popularity may hurt the candidates she would endorse in next May’s national and local elections.
About 48 million Filipinos are expected to elect a president, vice president, nearly 300 lawmakers for the two houses of Congress, and more than 17,000 local government officials.
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Malacañang spokesperson Gary Olivar shrugged off the President’s poor ratings, saying that she should be measured based on her work ethic and accomplishments.
“These surveys are opinion-based and we don’t think it represents a significant number of Filipinos,” Olivar said. ‘‘The President has been focused on just delivering basic social services for the poorest of the poor. That’s more important for the President than her popularity.” |
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