Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) said Malacañang is not worried by the dip in the President's approval rating but acknowledged there is room for improvement.

The results of the latest Pulse Asia survey showed the President continues to enjoy the trust of most Filipinos but his overall approval rating slid from 88 percent in July to 79 percent last October. His trust rating also decreased from 85 percent in July to 80 percent last October.

“These figures still reflect very high levels of trust that the President is determined to maintain by pursuing his platform of good governance. He recognizes that efforts need to be exerted to address areas of improvement,” Coloma said.

The President, who ran on a campaign to eliminate corruption as means to address poverty, was elected to office with a large mandate last May elections.

The popular leader, however, ran into trouble at the start of his term such as the bungled government response of the August 23 hostage taking in Manila and alleged involvement of his close allies in jueteng payoffs.

Aquino also drew flak from the Catholic bishops when he voiced support for the right to contraception by Filipino couples.

In the survey, conducted last October 20-29 among 1,200 respondents, most Filipinos expressed appreciation for the work done by the Aquino administration on eight out of 11 national issues.

President Aquino received majority approval ratings from 75 to 86 percent and trust ratings from 75 to 87 percent in all of the country’s geographic areas – Metro Manila, rest of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, with the highest rating recorded in the Visayas.

Across socio-economic classes ABC, D, and E, 74 to 83 percent approved of the President’s performance while 78 to 85 percent trust him.

The highest figures, in this case, are recorded in the poorest Class E.

“This is the first time President Aquino is being performance- and trust-rated in Pulse Asia’s Ulat ng Bayan survey,” the pollster explained.

In July, 2010, although the President had already been proclaimed as such, survey respondents were asked to rate his performance during his last three months in the Senate.

Rated as a senator, President Aquino scored an overall approval rating of 88 percent and an overall trust rating of 85 percent.

Meanwhile, almost two in 10 Filipinos are unable to say if they approve or disapprove of President Aquino’s performance (18 percent) and if they trust or distrust him (17 percent).

Essentially the same indecision ratings in performance and trust may be noted across geographic areas (12 to 22 percent, and 12 to 23 percent, respectively), and socio-economic classes (15 to 21 percent, and 14 to 21 percent, respectively).

President Aquino also posted single-digit disapproval and distrust ratings at the national level (3 and 2 percent, respectively) and in the different geographic areas (2 to 4 percent, and 1 to 4 percent, respectively).

He registered overall indecision ratings of 10 to 18 percent and overall disapproval and distrust ratings of 2 percent when he was last assessed as a senator by respondents to the latest survey.

The same survey showed that most Filipinos appreciated the work done by the Aquino administration on eight out of 11 national issues.

Approval for the Aquino administration’s efforts to address key national issues is expressed by “small majorities” of Filipinos – criminality (62 percent), job creation (59 percent), law enforcement (58 percent), corruption (57 percent), peace (56 percent), workers’ pay (56 percent), population control (53 percent), and environmental degradation (51 percent).

Plurality approval ratings are scored by the national administration on three national issues – expanding the sources of government funds (48 percent), poverty reduction (47 percent), and inflation (45 percent).

The latter is considered as an urgent national concern (i.e., an issue requiring the immediate attention of the government) by about one in 10 Filipinos (49 percent).

Pulse Asia noted that on the issues of inflation and poverty reduction, the Aquino administration scored its highest disapproval ratings (21 percent and 18 percent, respectively).

Genalyn Kabiling & Ellalyn de Vera, Manila Bulletin