TAKE note that the Social Weather Stations survey showing a 16- point plunge in net satisfaction for the Aquino administration was conducted on June 27 – 30, 2014.
From 45 percent last March, satisfaction for general performance of the Aquino administration dropped to 29 percent in the June survey.
This was before the July 1 Supreme Court unanimous decision declaring the Disbursement Acceleration Program or DAP unconstitutional.
This was before Aquino went ballistic against the Supreme Court insisting on his own interpretation of the Constitution deliberately ignoring that under our system of government the final arbiter when it comes to legal issues is the Supreme Court.
This is the lowest score given by the people to the Aquino administration which rode high with 64 percent satisfaction rating on its first year despite its embarrassing bungling of the Rizal Park hostage crisis in August 2010.
Even with its maddening incompetence in the typhoon Yolanda tragedy in November last year, the public maintained its kind regard of President Aquino.
The decline actually started third quarter of 2013. In the June 2013 SWS survey, the Aquino administration got its highest satisfaction rating with 66 percent. From there, it was downwards with a ten-point drop three months after (Sept. 2013- 56 percent). But many were surprised that it was only a slight five-point drop ( 51 percent) in a post- Yolanda survey in December 2013.
Then came the controversy over the Priority Development Assistance Fund or PDAF which tainted the entire Philippine political spectrum. Malacañang, tried though to spin the issue to its favor with the arrest of opposition senators – Juan Ponce-Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, and Bong Revilla.
The In the March 2014 survey , Satisfaction rating for the Aquino administration sank six points further below the 50 percent mark which observers said should alarm Malacañang.
As of last week of June 2014, it’s 29 percent.
Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said they are not bothered by the steep decline saying it is “not insurmountable”. In Tagalog, may pag-asa pa.
Thinking of how it would affect the President’s influence in the 2016 elections, Lacierda, who earlier described Aquino’s endorsement power for 2016 as “lethal”, said it remains “undiminished.”
Let’s see in the next survey.
It is also worth noting that in the SWS June survey, the President got a “good” rating in “providing enough supply of electricity” at 45 percent. I dread how it would be next summer when the public would have to suffer eight to ten hours daily brownouts as warned by Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla.
