69% of Metro Pinoys support protest moves vs Gloria, aides

March 3, 2008

More bad news for Malacañang, its occupants and Palace aides.

A recent Pulse Asia survey found 69 percent of respondents in Metro Manila supporting the protest actions calling for the resignation of government officials linked to the scandal-tainted ZTE-National Broadband Network (NBN) contract, even as only 16 percent have expressed willingness to join such protest actions.

At the same time, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released yesterday its results on the trust rating of the presidential spouse, Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo, who, in the last quarter survey of 2007, obtained a shameful trust rating of —51 percent, the lowest ever obtained by him in all the years with Mrs. Arroyo being in Malacañang.

An earlier release of a Pulse Asia survey that saw print last March 1, also showed that 76 percent of Filipinos expressed their distrust of Mrs. Arroyo, while Mr. Arroyo obtained the same low 76 percent in trust ratings, thus validating the earlier SWS survey results.

The same Pulse Asia survey conducted toward the end of last month, also showed that 61 percent of the respondents believe there is a big possibility that the Senate testimony of ZTE National Broadband Network (NBN) whistleblower, former president of the Philippine Forest Corp., Rodolfo Lozada, Jr., could lead to the fall of the Arroyo government.

Around seven in 10 residents of Metro Manila (69 percent) say they will support protest actions such as prayer rallies or demonstrations calling for the resignation of government officials linked to the ZTE-NBN controversy. But even as they expressed support for these rallies, only 16 percent are willing to join such protest actions.

The survey revealed that the willingness to join prayer rallies or demonstrations is most pronounced among those in the best-off Class ABC (24 percent) while those in the most numerous Class D are most inclined not to join (61 percent). In contrast, 31 percent of Metro Manilans say they will not support and will not join similar protests actions with this sentiment being most notable among those in the poorest Class E (42 percent).

Pulse Asia said in its media release that the most often cited reasons of those not willing to join legal protest actions (84 percent of Metro Manilans) are that there are more important things for them to do (26 percent).

Also, the respondents cited that there is no genuine change whoever leads the government (26 percent) and the need to earn for their daily expenses (21 percent).

The first two reasons are cited by almost the same percentages of respondents across socio-economic classes but the third reason is a bigger concern for those in classes D and E than in Class ABC (26 percent to 27 percent versus 10 percent).

On the other hand, the other reasons probed in this survey are each mentioned by less than 10 percent of Metro Manilans with 7 percent asking that a good alternative leader first be presented to the people, 6 percent claimed People Power fatigue, 6 percent being inclined to just wait for the May 2010 elections, and 3 percent saying the leaders who are calling for the President’s resignation should themselves be credible.

It was stated that around six in 10 Metro Manilans (61 percent) are of the opinion that there exists a big possibility that Lozada’s testimony before the Senate could result in the downfall of the Arroyo administration – a sentiment that is more pronounced in Class ABC than in

Classes D and E (72 percent versus 52 percent to 56 percent). In contrast, 8 percent think there is a small possibility or none at all of this happening while 30 percent expressed ambivalence on the matter.

The percentages of Metro Manilans saying there is a small or no possibility that the present administration could be overthrown as a result of Lozada’s Senate testimony are generally the same across socio-economic classes (7 percent to 10 percent) but indecision is more pronounced in Class E than in Class ABC (41percent versus 21 percent.)

On the First Gentleman’s extremely high distrust ratings, SWS found 13 percent with much trust and 64 percent with little trust in Mike Arroyo, or a net -51, which is the lowest degree of trust recorded since January 2001.

Mr. Arroyo had an average of 20 percent saying they had much trust in him in 21 national SWS surveys from January 2001 to December 2007.

Since an average of 52 percent said they had little trust in him, Mr. Arroyo’s resulting average net trust rating was -32 in the said period. His net trust rating has been positive only once, in January 2001.

Public satisfaction with President Arroyo’s performance and public trust in the First Gentleman are directly related to each other, the SWS news release said.

Predictably, the Palace reaction on the Pulse Asia survey results was dismissive of the results, as this impacts negatively on the President.

Malacañang yesterday said, in response to the survey, that Metro Manila is not the whole Philippines.

The results, broken down show that 16 percent of Metro Manila’s residents comprise about 650,000 individuals willing to join anti-government rallies.

When asked for comment, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye even bragged that the number of participants in anti-government street protests is significantly declining compared to the successful street protests before the Edsa People Power l and ll events.

The Palace spokesman also stressed that the sentiment of people in Metro Manila is different from the people in the provinces.

“The protest moves may continue but we doubt if it will get the momentum of Edsa l and ll because the figures have been declining. Metro Manila is not the Philippines. They have different sentiments in the provinces,” Bunye said, even as the provinces showed the same protest sentiments.

Even President Arroyo in a speech in Laguna yesterday, emphasized that “shouting” cannot resolve the current problems being confronted by the society. With Sherwin C. Olaes and Tribune wires

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