Poll: 70% of Pinoys trust Noy

MANILA, Philippines - A majority of Filipinos still trust and appreciate the work done by President Aquino in the past three months, according to the latest survey by Pulse Asia.

Seven of 10 Filipino adults or 70 percent have expressed approval of Aquino’s performance in the first quarter of 2014, while nearly the same percentage (69 percent) trust him.

Aquino’s latest approval and trust scores, however, were down from 73 percent and 74 percent, respectively, in Pulse Asia’s December 2013 survey.

But Pulse Asia said the drop is still within the poll’s margin of error.

The President enjoyed majority approval ratings in all geographic areas and socio-economic classes (57 percent to 80 percent and 62 percent to 72 percent, respectively).

Visayans and Mindanaoans are more inclined to approve of the President’s work than Metro Manilans – 72 percent to 80 percent versus 57 percent, Pulse Asia said.

Aquino also obtained majority trust ratings across all geographic areas and socio-economic groupings with 57 percent to 76 percent and 62 percent to 71 percent, respectively.

He received relatively higher levels of trust ratings in the rest of Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao than in Metro Manila with 69 percent to 76 percent versus 57 percent.

The Pulse Asia survey was conducted from March 19 to 26, using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults aged 18 and above.

Pulse Asia said only marginal movements in presidential performance and trust ratings were noted between December 2013 and March 2014.

“The changes in President Aquino’s performance and trust ratings at the national level and in the different survey sub-groupings during the period December 2013 to March 2014 are not considered significant in light of the relevant error margins,” it said.

The nationwide survey has a plus or minus three percentage points margin of error at the 95 percent confidence level.

The administration will continue to make reforms felt by the people as Malacañang expressed appreciation over the consistent high approval and trust ratings of President Aquino.

“We will note that the decline in the performance approval – I believe from 73 percent to 70 (percent) – is a marginal decline and well within the usual statistical margin of error,” Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said.

“We have pointed out in previous briefings that our main concern is the implementation of the reforms and of the major programs in the Philippine Development Plan. There are likely to be ups and downs or ebbs and flows in public opinion survey results, but we remain focused on the attainment of the Philippine Development Plan objectives,” Coloma said.

He said the focus of the administration was the implementation of reforms and not the ratings per se, which had been going up and down.

Aquino has called the people his “bosses” and high approval and trust ratings give him the political security and backing for the permanent changes he wants to institute, he added. – With Aurea Calica