Pinoys split on Tuwid na Daan

MANILA, Philippines - More Filipinos think President Aquino has failed to fulfill his promise of tuwid na daan (straight path), the latest Pulse Asia survey revealed.

The survey found 36 percent of Filipinos saying Aquino has failed to fulfill his promise to follow the straight path – his anti-corruption slogan – while 29 percent said he has been able to adhere to his policy.

Thirty-four percent of Filipinos, meanwhile, expressed indecision on the matter.

The Pulse Asia survey, conducted from Sept. 8 to 15, used face-to-face interviews of 1,200 Filipino adults aged 18 years old and above.

In the survey, the respondents were asked to comment on the statement “President Aquino has fulfilled his promise to follow a straight path.”

In Metro Manila, 36 percent of the respondents disagreed, 30 percent agreed while 33 percent were undecided.

In balance Luzon, 45 percent disagreed, 22 percent agreed, and 33 percent were undecided.

In the Visayas, 29 percent agreed, 26 percent disagreed, while 43 percent were undecided.

In Mindanao, 43 percent agreed, 26 percent disagreed, while 30 percent were undecided.

“Big pluralities in the rest of Luzon and Class ABC (45 percent and 43 percent, respectively) are inclined to think that President Aquino has failed to adhere to his tuwid na daan policy. As for Visayans, the plurality sentiment is one of ambivalence (43 percent). In Mindanao, a big plurality of residents (43 percent) say the President has fulfilled his promise to follow a straight path as the country’s leader,” Pulse Asia said.

By socio-economic class, 43 percent of Class ABC disagreed with the statement that Aquino fulfilled his promise of tuwid na daan, while 33 percent agreed and 24 percent are undecided.

Among the Class D, 36 percent disagreed, 28 percent agreed, while 35 percent were undecided.

Among Class E, 32 percent disagreed, 29 percent agreed, while 37 percent were undecided.

After he was elected president in 2010, Aquino promised that the administration would adhere to a good governance policy.

The Pulse Asia survey was released amid allegations of corruption against several government officials including Vice President Jejomar Binay and Philippine National Police chief Director General Alan Purisima.

It has a plus or minus three percentage points error margin at the 95 percent confidence level.

Most Pinoys ‘open-minded’

Malacañang, meanwhile, yesterday refused to acknowledge the results of the Pulse Asia survey.

“How can we say that the people do not believe in President Aquino’s straight path policy? This survey says that 29 percent agree and 34 percent have an open mind,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said, referring to those who were undecided.

“If you add the two that’s 63 percent,” he said.

Lacierda also lamented that this is the first time that a polling firm undertook a survey on the straight path policy when it has been four years that reform measures are being instituted in government. – Helen Flores, Delon Porcalla