Governance score cards should not be confined to trust rating surveys, Malacañang said after President Marcos' approval and trust ratings declined.
In a statement, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin emphasized that to consider surveys as the "sole indicator" of public service takes away the focus from more important matters in terms of governance.
"We respect the statement that surveys are dipstick readings of the well of the public opinion. But we believe that the governance scorecard should not be confined to pollings alone," Bersamin said on Monday, Dec. 23.
"To consider surveys as the sole indicator is to take our focus away from the more important metrics, like employment, that reliably measure our progress as a nation," Bersamin added.
According to the latest Pulse Asia survey conducted from Nov. 26 to Dec. 3, Marcos’ approval rating dropped to 48 percent from 50 percent in September. His trust rating also declined to 47 percent from 50 percent in September.
The Executive Secretary also pointed out that a high popularity rating is just a bonus and not the basis of effective public service.
"True leadership always carries with it the burden to pursue courses of action which are right but may not be popular," the Palace official said.
"Public interest is the sole driver behind every executive decision, not the pursuit of high ratings in the next opinion polls. High popularity ratings are the bonus and not the bedrock of effective public service," he added.