by Amando Doronila
Philippine Daily Inquirer
President Aquino reported to the nation yesterday the “significant” accomplishments of his first 100 days in office, diminished by a 23-point slump in the satisfaction rating for his administration.
The Social Weather Stations had published on Wednesday the results of a survey conducted from September 24 to 27, a month after the August 23 hostage-taking debacle. The results showed that the President’s net approval rating dipped to +60 percent from +83 percent net trust rating just before his inauguration on June 30. The net satisfaction rating is the difference between the percentage of the satisfied and dissatisfied. The survey showed 71 percent of the respondents were satisfied with the President’s performance, while 11 percent were dissatisfied.
The survey came as a rude wake-up call and confirmed observations that the hostage fiasco has eroded the administration’s popularity more deeply than it would admit. The survey was the first taken within 90 days of the Aquino presidency. Although SWS described the net satisfaction rating as “very good,” it also discounted it, saying that President Aquino’s score is not the highest initial rating for a Philippine president.