Amidst allegations of bribery in drug related cases involving officials of the justice department, charges of bid rigging in road projects that prompted the World Bank to blacklist certain local contractors, a fresh attempt to change the constitution and lukewarm efforts to stem effects of the global financial crisis, a new survey conducted by poll agency Pulse Asia Inc. showed that public sentiment concerning the President Arroyo remains predominantly one of distrust and disapproval.

This sentiment is predominant not only at the national level but in all geographic areas and socio-economic classes as well.

Disapproval and distrust of the President is most marked in Metro Manila where the 62 percent say they disapprove of her performance and 67 percent say they distrust her.

The lowest disapproval and distrust figures (38% and 35%, respectively) are recorded in the Visayas. But even the Visayas, there are more people who disapprove and distrust the President compared to those who approve and trust her (27 percent and 22 percent, respectively).

President Arroyo’s highest trust rating (31%) is granted by those in Mindanao while the lowest figure (11%) is likewise posted in Metro Manila.

Little change in sentiments

The public’s ratings of the president hardly changed between October 2008 and March 2009, the survey showed. The only notable movements in presidential performance ratings during this period are the 12-percentage point drop in approval in Class ABC and the 21-percentage point increase in indecision recorded for the same sector.

Overall, a near majority of Filipinos disapprove of President Arroyo’s performance (46%) and express their distrust in her (45%), according to the survey. In contrast, only about a quarter (26%) is appreciative of the President’s work while exactly one in four (25%) trusts her.

Meanwhile, 28% cannot say if they approve or disapprove of presidential performance while 30% are ambivalent on the matter of trusting or distrusting President Arroyo.

As for presidential trust ratings, indecision levels go up by 22 percentage points in the Visayas while distrust ratings decline by double digit margins in Mindanao (-10 percentage points) and the Visayas (-18 percentage points).

Better than last year

But the president can at least take comfort in the fact that, her current approval ratings are slightly better than her ratings last year.

In Mindanao, the president’s approval ratings improved by 10 percentage points compared to that of last year, while her disapproval rating dropped by 13-percentage points.

In Class ABC, disapproval also eased by 19 percentage points while indecision ratings increased by 18 percentage points.

President Arroyo’s overall distrust rating also declined by 12 percentage points compared to that of last year while her overall indecision rating goes up by 7 percentage points during this period. In Mindanao, there is a 17-percentage point rise in President Arroyo’s trust rating and a 24-percentage point reduction in her distrust rating.

Additionally, indecision becomes more pronounced (+22 percentage points) and distrust less notable (-18 percentage points) in the Visayas. Distrust ratings also drop in all socio-economic classes (-10 to -15 percentage points) between March 2008 and February 2009.

Bribery, Bid Rigging, Financial Crisis

At the time the survey fieldwork was conducted (February 2 to 15, 2009), the news headlines focused on the alleged bribery of several officials from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in relation to a drug case; the reported bid rigging behind road projects in the country being funded by the World Bank (WB); the planned automation of the May 2010 elections; the revival of congressional discussions on constitutional amendments; controversies involving the Supreme Court including the aborted plan to file impeachment charges against Chief Justice Reynato Puno; the closure of some companies and the laying off of workers both here and abroad; the Arroyo administration’s efforts to create jobs and provide assistance to laid off workers; and, the US Presidential election and the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

Pulse Asia nationwide surveys have a ± 3% error margin at the 95% confidence level. Subnational estimates for each of the geographic areas covered in the survey (i.e., Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao) have a ± 6% error margin, also at 95% confidence level.