EDITORIAL - President's unpopularity ratings are no longer helpful or necessary

There goes that survey again. The latest in this continuing survey on the popularity of the president — although going by the results the word unpopularity would be more appropriate — says Mrs. Arroyo has hit an all-time low of -23.

The people who have been commissioning this running survey must have a long-range plan that requires a perioding drilling of the fact that the president is unpopular. Without agenda, the survey is a complete waste of time, money and effort.

For who is the person who would, in all honesty, insist that the president is popular. Even Malacañang owns the chief tenant’s unpopularity. Even the act of her spokesmen in blaming themselves for not doing enough to safeguard her image is acknowledgement enough of the fact.

But still the surveys keep coming, as if there is that remote possibility that someone who had been sleeping suddenly woke up without a clue. Clearly the surveys do not intend to tell us what we already know.

We are convinced that these surveys are meant to make the president look so bad all the way to the time of the elections so that by comparison, those seeking to replace her as president will look so good.

We have always believed that a candidate who wants to be elected president should try to persuade voters what a fine specimen he is as an aspiring leader. On the other hand, we are always suspicious about those who want to be elected solely at the expense of others.

This we believe is the reason why these surveys continue despite the fact that they no longer tell people anything new. Filipinos have long drawn conclusions about their president that even if she were to suddenly rise in the surveys, such results are already beyond any belief.

The surveys continue because they are the only means by which some candidates can look better than they really are. They are no different from the vultures and hyenas who do not earn their own keep but feed on game brought down by others.