Vice President Jejomar Binay retained an "excellent" net satisfaction rating of +70 in the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey results.
The nationwide survey conducted from March 10-13 with 1,200 respondents found that 79 percent said they were satisfied with the Vice President's performance in the past three months, while only 9 percent said they were dissatisfied.
The percentage of those satisfied and dissatisfied brought the net rating of Binay to +70, which is the same as his net rating in December 2011.
The SWS survey result was first published in the BusinessWorld on Wednesday.
SWS noted that the Vice President's present rating is four points lower than his personal record-high of +74 (excellent) recorded in March 2011.
Net satisfaction ratings are classified by SWS as follows: +70 and above "excellent"; +50 to +69, "very good"; +30 to +49, "good"; +10 to +29, "moderate," +9 to -9, "neutral"; -10 to -29, "poor"; -30 to -49, "bad"; -50 to -69, "very bad"; and -70 and below, "execrable."
SWS pointed out Binay remains the most favored official among the top five government officials in the country.
President Benigno S. Aquino III's net satisfaction rating was "good" +49 (68 percent satisfied, 19 percent dissatisfied) at present from a "very good" +58 last December.
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. both got improved satisfaction ratings with "very good" +56 (69 percent satisfied, 13 percent dissatisfied) and "moderate" +18 (39 percent satisfied, 27 percent dissatisfied), respectively.
Enrile's net rating is 20 points higher than his rating last December ("good" +36).
Belmonte also gained 10 points in his present rating from a "neutral" +8 in the last quarter of 2011.
Chief Justice Renato Corona got the lowest net satisfaction rating among the top Philippine government officials with "poor" -28 (22 percent satisfied, 51 percent dissatisfied). It is lower than the "poor" -14 recorded last December.
The survey also found that public satisfaction for the top four state institutions improved in the past three months.
Among the four, the Senate enjoys the highest net satisfaction rating of "very good" +58 (71 percent satisfied, 13 percent dissatisfied), up by 14 points from the previous survey period. The House of Representative's satisfaction rating also increased to a "good" +40 (56 percent satisfied, 16 percent dissatisfied) from a "moderate" +27 last December.
The latest scores of the Senate and House of Representatives were the highest recorded ratings for both institutions.
The Supreme Court retained its "moderate" score of +27 (50 percent satisfied, 22 percent dissatisfied), six points higher than its December score of "moderate" +21. Satisfaction also stayed "moderate" for the Cabinet as a whole, up four points to +26 (45 percent satisfied, 20 percent dissatisfied) from the previous +22.
In a statement, Binay said he credits President Aquino for his "excellent" rating in the latest SWS survey.
"If it were not for the trust of the President, I would not have been given the chance to help our Overseas Filipino Workers, and help address the country's housing needs," Binay said in a statement.
The SWS said the Vice President remained the highest favored government official, with 79 per cent of respondents saying they were satisfied with his performance and 9 per cent saying they were dissatisfied, for net satisfaction rating of 70 percent or "excellent."
Earlier, Pulse Asia's February 26-March 9 poll also showed that the Vice President remains the most approved and trusted national government official. Binay garnered 84 percent and 80 percent performance and trust ratings, respectively, in the survey based on a sampling of 1,200 respondents.
The Vice President attributed his high ratings to the support of the President and the Filipino people. "Again, I would like to thank the President for his trust, and the people for their support," he said. "We face many challenges ahead but President Aquino and myself are determined to exert all our efforts to overcome these challenges and improve the lives of our people," he added.
Malacañang welcomed Binay's high public satisfaction rating even though he has overtaken President Aquino based on the latest SWS survey.
Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda pointed out that Binay's popularity ratings could not be compared with the grade of President Aquino since they have different jobs.
Aquino, who has been battling criticisms of "noynoying" or do-nothing leadership, suffered a slip in his public satisfaction rating based on the same survey.
"It is certainly comparing apples and oranges. The President has a different job from the Vice President. The nature of the President and nature of the Vice President are two different things," Lacierda said in news conference. "But certainly we are happy with the numbers of the Vice President."
Aquino earlier brushed aside his latest public approval ratings, saying his governance is based on what is right, not based on surveys.
Meanwhile, the House prosecution panel said the big dip in ratings of Corona in recent opinion surveys may continue should the chief magistrate insists on refusing to attend impeachment trial before the Senate.
Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara, one of the spokespersons of the 11-man House prosecution team, said they anticipated the deteriorating public opinion against Corona based on the pieces of evidence that lawmakers presented before senators.
"Not surprising, given the evidence that has emerged during the trial and his continued refusal to come forward and explain," Angara said in reaction to the recent SWS survey showing that Corona's ratings went down from -14 to -28.
In a survey conducted March 10 to 13, the SWS said that Corona received the lowest public satisfaction rating among government officials with 51 percent of 1,200 respondents expressed disappointment in his performance while only 22 percent of the respondents expressed satisfaction.
The poll group added that 73 percent of the respondents believe Corona will be convicted while 25 percent await for a "not guilty" decision.
Citizen's Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC) partylist Rep. Sherwin Tugna noted that the survey result signifies the snowballing clamor for the removal of Corona. "The results of the survey only show that the Filipino people want a Chief Justice who is honest and has integrity," Tugna, one of the public prosecutors of Corona at the impeachment trial, said.
Marikina City Rep. Romero Quimbo , another spokesperson for the House prosecutors, claimed the results show that those who believe that Corona is either guilty or not are only awaiting for his claims. "SWS survey confirms what we've always been saying that the Chief Justice is expected by the people to show up including even those who think he's innocent," he said. (With reports from Rio Rose Ribaya, Genalyn D. Kabiling and JC Bello Ruiz)
