By Joseph Almer Pedrajas
Filipinos' satisfaction with the performance of the national government hit a record-high again since President Duterte assumed office, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.
In a survey conducted from Dec. 13 to 19, 2019 among 1,200 respondents, SWS found that 81 percent of them were satisfied with the general performance of the current administration while only seven percent were not.
(FILE PHOTO/MANILA BULLETIN)
This translates to a net satisfaction rating of +73 (percent satisfied minus percent dissatisfied, correctly rounded), which was classified as "excellent," SWS said late Thursday evening.
The Duterte administration's satisfaction rating rose by six points from its September 2019 "very good" rating of +67. The latest rating matched its June 2019 record-high result of +73.
SWS said that out of 16 specific performance subjects rated, the net satisfaction ratings of the Duterte administration were very good on seven subjects, good on six subjects, and moderate on three subjects. This is called the "Governance Report Card."
According to the survey, the national administration’s net satisfaction rating was very good on: helping the poor (+64), fighting terrorism (+61), providing information needed by the citizens to properly examine what the government is doing (+58), having clear policies (+56), developing a healthy economy (+53), reconciling with Muslim rebels (+51), and protecting the freedom of the press (+50).
SWS furthered that, it was good in: fighting crimes (+49), reconciling with communist rebels (+48), foreign relations (+47), acting according to what the people want (+45), defending Philippine sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea (+32), and eradicating graft and corruption (+31).
The survey noted that, it was moderate on ensuring that no family will ever be hungry (+29), recovering the ''hidden wealth'' stolen by Marcos and his cronies (+25), and fighting inflation (+12).
SWS clarified that the satisfaction rating of the administration's general performance is based on a question: "How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the present national administration’s performance in (programs or activities)?" and not an average of answers to the specific performance subjects.
‘Excellent’ in all areas
The six-point rise in the Duterte's administration’s December 2019 net satisfaction rating was due to increases in all areas from its September 2019 rating, the SWS revealed.
In Balance Luzon (all parts of Luzon except Metro Manila), it rose by nine points; in Visayas, by 10 points; in Mindanao, by two points; and in Metro Manila, by one point.
The current administration's satisfaction rating improved from "very good" to "excellent" in Balance Luzon and stayed excellent in the remaining parts of the country.
Moreover, Duterte administration’s net rating rose from "very good" to "excellent" in fighting terrorism, developing a healthy economy, reconciling with Muslim rebels and protecting the freedom of the press.
However, it fell from "good" to "moderate" on recovering the ''hidden wealth'' stolen by Marcos and his cronies, the SWS bared.