Pulse Asia: Filipinos still distrust GMA

Public distrust in President Arroyo remains the most dominant sentiment toward her, according to the latest survey by independent polling group Pulse Asia. Survey results showed that nearly seven in ten Filipinos (68 percent) distrust Mrs. Arroyo, while only about one in ten (11 percent) trusts her. Pulse Asia said the chief executive’s overall trust rating is the same as that in December 2009, adding that it is the lowest she has attained since March 2001.

Mrs. Arroyo’s nine-year administration, which had been hounded by accusations of election fraud, corruption and extra-judicial killings, ends this year. Meanwhile, the pollster said that among aspirants battling to succeed Mrs. Arroyo in the May polls, Senators Manuel Villar and Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III enjoyed majority trust ratings at 70 and 64 percent, respectively. Aquino and Villar are the closest rivals in the presidential race, recent surveys showed. Former President Joseph Estrada, out to reclaim his thrown, registered practically the same trust and distrust ratings (33 percent versus 37 percent).
For administration bet Gilberto Teodoro, public assessment of his trustworthiness is divided, with 36 percent of Filipinos ambivalent on the matter, 32 percent trusting him, and 31 percent distrusting him. Compounding the situation for Teodoro was the fact that a small majority of Filipinos (52 percent) will certainly not elect a presidential candidate endorsed by President Arroyo, survey results added.

Meanwhile, among those running for vice president, Senators Manuel Roxas II and Loren Legarda are trusted by most Filipinos with ratings of 73 and 61 percent, respectively. Makati City mayor Jejomar Binay, Estrada’s running mate, enjoyed a 44 percent trust rating, while former Optical Media Board chairman and actor Eduardo Manzano scored 45 percent. Pulse Asia’s survey was conducted from January 22 to 26, 2010 using face-to-face interviews of 1,800 representative adults 18 years old and above. It has a ± 2 percent error margin at the 95 percent confidence level.