Pulse Asia September 2014 Nationwide Survey

MEDIA RELEASE (October 9, 2014)

FROM:

Prof. Ronald D. Holmes President Pulse Asia Research, Inc.

RE:

Pulse Asia Research’s September 2014 Nationwide Survey on Urgent National Concerns, National Administration Performance Ratings on Selected Issues, and Possibility of Successfully Combatting Corruption in Government

Pulse Asia Research, Inc. is pleased to share with you some findings on Urgent National Concerns, National Administration Performance Ratings on Selected Issues, and Possibility of Successfully Combatting Corruption in Government from the September 2014 Ulat ng Bayan national survey. We request you to assist us in informing the public by disseminating this information.

The survey fieldwork was conducted from September 8 – 15, 2014 using face-toface interviews. In the first half of September 2014, the news headlines were dominated by the following key developments: (1) the ongoing Senate investigation into the reported overpriced Makati City Hall Building II, with witnesses claiming, among other things, that the bidding for the said project was rigged to favor Hillmarc's Construction Corporation and that Vice-President Jejomar C. Binay received kickbacks from various Makati City projects while serving as its local chief executive; (2) a suggestion made by Albay Governor Joey Salceda to impeach VicePresident Binay due to the charges of corruption raised against him in connection with the construction of the allegedly overpriced building in Makati City which began under his watch as Makati City mayor - a

proposal rejected by politicians allied with and critical of the current national administration; (3) the junking of three impeachment complaints against President Benigno S. Aquino III which were found to be insufficient in substance by members of the Committee on Justice of the House of Representatives; (4) the suspension for 90 days of Senator Juan Ponce Enrile emanating from the Sandiganbayan's suspension order issued on 24 July 2014 so as to prevent him from influencing the investigation into his alleged involvement into the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam; (5) the arrest of the suspects in a foiled "bombing attempt" at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 on 01 September 2014 which is reportedly related to the desire of a group called the USA Freedom Fighters of the East (USAFFE) to retake the Spratly Islands from China; (6) the confirmation of the appointment of General Gregorio Pio Catapang as chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), with Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and Cagayan de Oro Representative Rufus Rodriguez praising him for the escape of Filipino peacekeepers stationed in Golan Heights on 31 August 2014 who were under siege from Syrian rebels; (7) President Aquino's request addressed to Congress for emergency powers to enable him to address the impending energy crisis next year; (8) the transmittal of the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) to Congress and President Aquino's call for the lawmakers to prioritize and fast-track the bill; and (9) calls for the resignation of Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Alan Purisima amidst the increasing number of crimes involving policemen and President Aquino's expression of trust in the beleaguered police official.

Other news items at this time include the statement made by Vice-President Binay as regards his preference for Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) Company Chairperson Manuel V. Pangilinan as his running mate in May 2016; talks of a second term for President Aquino; the preparations being done by the leaders of the Catholic Church for the January 2015 visit to the Philippines of Pope Francis; public uproar against the construction of a condominium tower in Manila City which ruins the vista of the Rizal Monument; the oath-taking of Associate Justice Francis Jardeleza as the newest member of the Supreme Court following 2

his 19 August 2014 appointment by President Aquino; the latter's visit to Europe and the United States where he will be discussing matters related to the West Philippine Sea dispute with China, trade and investment, and the plight of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs); and the worsening traffic situation in Metro Manila, the port congestion in Manila City, and the continuing woes experienced by passengers of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3 due to technical problems which hamper the MRT's operations.

As in our previous surveys, this nationwide survey is based on a sample of 1,200 representative adults 18 years old and above. It has a Âą 3% error margin at the 95% confidence level. Subnational estimates for each of the geographic areas covered in the survey (i.e., Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao) have a Âą 6% error margin, also at 95% confidence level. Those interested in further technical details concerning the survey's questionnaire and sampling design may request Pulse Asia Research in writing for fuller details, including copies of the pre-tested questions actually used.

Pulse Asia Research’s pool of academic fellows takes full responsibility for the design and conduct of the survey, as well as for analyses it makes based on the survey data. In keeping with our academic nature, no religious, political, economic, or partisan group influenced any of these processes. Pulse Asia Research undertakes Ulat ng Bayan surveys on its own without any party singularly commissioning the research effort.

For any clarification or questions, kindly contact Dr. Ana Maria Tabunda, Research Director of Pulse Asia Research at 09189436816 or Prof. Ronald D. Holmes, Pulse Asia Research President at 09189335497 or via email (ronald.holmes@gmail.com).

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Pulse Asia Research’s September 2014 Ulat ng Bayan Survey: Media Release on Urgent National Concerns, National Administration Performance Ratings on Selected Issues, and Possibility of Successfully Combatting Corruption in Government 09 October 2014 Filipinos continue to be most concerned about two economic issues – inflation (50%) and workers’ pay (49%); levels of concern remain essentially unchanged between June and September 2014 Half of Filipinos (50%) cite the need to control inflation as an issue that must be immediately addressed by the current administration. Virtually the same percentage (49%) express concern regarding the low pay of workers. A second cluster of national issues deemed urgent by Filipinos includes fighting corruption in government (41%), creating more jobs (38%), and reducing poverty (35%). Meanwhile, a quarter of Filipinos (25%) consider criminality as an urgent national concern. Another group of issues cited

by Filipinos as urgent includes enforcing the rule of law (15%), promoting peace (12%), controlling population growth (12%), and protecting the environment (12%). Filipinos are least concerned about charter change (6%) and defending the country’s territorial integrity against foreigners (5%). (Please refer to Table 1.)

Table 1 MOST URGENT NATIONAL CONCERNS: OVERALL September 8 - 15, 2014 / Philippines (Multiple Response, up to 3 allowed / In Percent) Base: Total Interviews, 100% LOCATION BAL LUZ VIS

RP

NCR

Controlling inflation

50

50

49

Improving / Increasing the pay of workers

49

62

Fighting graft and corruption in government

41

Creating more jobs Reducing poverty of many Filipinos

CLASS MIN

ABC

D

E

51

53

44

49

56

45

49

48

49

47

55

44

42

38

38

47

42

32

38

34

38

42

37

31

40

36

35

36

35

34

37

31

35

38

Fighting criminality

25

23

26

20

30

34

25

21

Enforcing the law on all, whether influential or ordinary people

15

17

15

14

16

17

15

16

Increasing peace in the country

12

7

13

13

14

12

13

11

Controlling fast population growth

12

12

14

11

9

14

11

11

Stopping the destruction and abuse of our environment

12

7

12

14

11

8

11

15

Changing the Constitution

6

6

6

7

6

6

6

7

Defending the integrity of Philippine territory against foreigners

5

4

5

7

2

5

5

4

NATIONAL CONCERNS

Q. Sa mga sumusunod na isyung pambansa, pakisabi ang hanggang TATLONG isyung dapat aksyunan agad ng administrasyong Aquino.

Maaari kayong magbanggit ng iba pa na wala sa listahan. Alin po ang unang isyung dapat aksyunan agad ng kasalukuyang administrasyon?

Ang pangalawa? Ang pangatlo?

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Across geographic areas and socio-economic classes, the only majority concerns are low pay of workers (62% in Metro Manila and 55% in Class E) and inflation (51% in the Visayas, 53% in Mindanao, and 56% in Class E). Those living in the rest of Luzon and Class ABC are most concerned about inflation (49% and 44%, respectively), workers’ pay (45% and 49%, respectively), and corruption in government (42% and 47%, respectively). In Class D, the most often mentioned urgent national concerns are inflation (49%), workers’ pay (47%), corruption in government (42%), and job creation (40%). Less than one in 10 Filipinos in the different geographic areas and socio-economic classes is concerned about amending the 1987 Philippine Constitution (both at 6% to 7%) and defending the country’s territorial integrity (2% to 7% and 4% to 5%, respectively).

Five national issues are cited as the first-, second- or third-ranked urgent national concerns by basically the same percentages of Filipinos in September 2014. These issues are controlling inflation (12% to 21%), increasing the pay of workers (13% to 18%), fighting corruption in government (12% to 15%), creating more jobs (12% to 13%), and reducing poverty (11% to 12%). (Please refer to Table 2.)

Table 2 MOST URGENT NATIONAL CONCERNS September 8 - 15, 2014 / Philippines (Multiple Response, up to 3 allowed / In Percent) Base: Total Interviews, 100%

OVERALL

FIRST

MENTIONED SECOND

THIRD

Controlling inflation

50

21

17

12

Improving / Increasing the pay of workers

49

18

17

13

Fighting graft and corruption in government

41

14

12

15

Creating more jobs

38

13

12

13

Reducing poverty of many Filipinos

35

12

11

12

Fighting criminality

25

9

7

9

Enforcing the law on all, whether influential or ordinary people

15

4

5

6

Increasing peace in the country

12

2

5

5

Controlling fast population growth

12

3

5

5

Stopping the destruction and abuse of our environment

12

2

4

5

Changing the Constitution

6

1

2

2

Defending the integrity of Philippine territory against foreigners

5

1

1

3

Q. Sa mga sumusunod na isyung pambansa, pakisabi ang hanggang TATLONG isyung dapat aksyunan agad ng administrasyong Aquino.

Maaari kayong magbanggit ng iba pa na wala sa listahan. Alin po ang unang isyung dapat aksyunan agad ng kasalukuyang administrasyon?

Ang pangalawa? Ang pangatlo?

5

Filipinos’ sense of urgency in relation to 10 issues (out of 12) included in this probe is virtually unchanged between June and September 2014. Even the 6-percentage point decline in the level of concern for government corruption and the 5percentage point increase in the level of concern as regards criminality fall within the overall error margin of +/- 3 percentage points)1. However, year-on-year, one might observe an increase in the level of concern as regards fighting criminality (+8 percentage points) and a decline in the level of concern toward fighting corruption in government (-7 percentage points) and promoting peace in the country (-10 percentage points). (Please refer to Table 3.)

Table 3 MOST URGENT NATIONAL CONCERNS September 2013 to September 2014 / Philippines (Multiple Response Allowed / In Percent) National Concerns

Sep13

Dec13

Mar14

Jun14

Sep14

Change*

Controlling inflation

48

52

50

52

50

- 2

Improving / Increasing the pay of workers

46

45

48

49

49

0

Fighting graft and corruption in government

48

46

44

47

41

- 6

Creating more jobs

42

37

31

38

38

0

Reducing poverty of many Filipinos

32

35

34

34

35

+ 1

Fighting criminality

17

20

23

20

25

+ 5

Enforcing the law on all, whether influential or ordinary people

18

19

20

17

15

- 2

Increasing peace in the country

22

21

16

16

12

- 4

Controlling fast population growth

11

9

15

9

12

+ 3

Stopping the destruction and abuse of our environment

15

16

18

16

12

- 4

Changing the Constitution

---

---

---

---

6

---

Defending the integrity of Philippine territory against foreigners

---

---

---

---

5

---

*Change = Figures of September 2014 minus Figures June 2014.

No comparative data are available for the issues of charter change and territorial integrity as they are not included in Pulse Asia Research’s June 2014 Ulat ng Bayan survey.

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The Aquino administration obtains only one majority approval rating in September 2014 – 53% for its efforts to fight criminality; public assessment of the administration’s performance is virtually unchanged during the period June to September 2014 Most Filipinos (53%) appreciate the national administration’s efforts to deal with the problem of criminality in the country – an issue deemed urgent by 25% of Filipinos. This is the only majority approval score recorded by the Aquino administration in this survey. Nonetheless, appreciation is the plurality sentiment toward the latter’s initiatives to defend the country’s territorial integrity against foreigners (48%), promote peace (46%), enforce the rule of law (43%), and fight corruption in government (43%). In contrast, the plurality assessment concerning the administration’s efforts to control inflation – the issue considered urgent by half of Filipinos (50%) – is one of outright disapproval (46%). (Please refer to Table 4.)

Table 4 PERCEIVED URGENCY OF SELECTED NATIONAL ISSUES AND THE NATIONAL ADMINISTRATION'S PERFORMANCE RATINGS September 8 - 15, 2014 / Philippines (Row Percent) % citing as One of Three Most Urgent Issues

Approve

Undecided

Disapprove

NAR*

Fighting criminality

25

53

29

18

+35

Defending the integrity of Philippine territory against foreigners

5

48

33

19

+29

Increasing peace in the country

12

46

36

18

+28

Stopping the destruction and abuse of our environment

12

42

40

19

+23

Enforcing the law on all, whether influential or ordinary people

15

43

36

21

+22

Fighting graft and corruption in government

41

43

31

26

+17

Controlling fast population growth

12

35

39

27

+ 8

Creating more jobs

38

34

37

29

+ 5

Improving/Increasing the pay of workers

49

28

36

36

- 8

Reducing the poverty of many Filipinos

35

26

35

39

- 13

Controlling inflation

50

22

32

46

- 24

National issues

Q. Nais naming malaman ang inyong opinyon tungkol sa pagganap sa tungkulin ng administrasyon ni Presidente Aquino sa pagharap nito sa mga sumusunod na isyung pambansa. Sa bawat isyung mabanggit, sa pamamagitan po ng board na ito (SHOW RATING BOARD), maaari bang pakisabi ninyo kung kayo ay TALAGANG APROBADO, APROBADO, M AAARING APROBADO AT M AAARING HINDI APROBADO, HINDI APROBADO o TALAGANG HINDI APROBADO sa pagganap sa tungkulin ng pambansang administrasyon sa mga isyu na ito?

Notes: (1) % Approve = % Truly Approve plus % Somewhat Approve; % Disapprove = % Somewhat Disapprove plus % Truly Disapprove.

(2) *NAR (Net Approval Rating) = %Approve minus % Disapprove (3) Figures may not add up to 100% due to rounding off or to Don't Know and Refuse responses.

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Public opinion regarding the administration’s performance on two issues is split three-ways – creating more jobs (34% approval, 37% indecision, and 29% disapproval) and increasing the pay of workers (28% approval, 36% indecision, and 36% disapproval). The Aquino administration scores practically the same approval and indecision ratings for its handling of two issues – environmental degradation (42% versus 40%) and population control (35% versus 39%).

However, on the issue of poverty reduction, essentially the same percentages of Filipinos are either critical of the administration’s anti-poverty initiatives or ambivalent on the matter (39% versus 35%).

Between June and September 2014, the only significant movement in the national administration’s performance ratings on these selected issues is the decline in the level of approval for its efforts to increase the pay of workers (-8 percentage points). All other changes – including the 6-percentage point decline in approval and the 6-percentage point increase in disapproval for the administration’s antipoverty initiatives as well as the 6-perentage point rise in disapproval for its work in the area of increasing workers’ pay – are marginal in nature. (Please refer to Table 5.)

Table 5 COMPARATIVE PERFORMANCE RATINGS OF THE NATIONAL ADMINISTRATION ON SELECTED NATIONAL ISSUES June and September 2014 / Philippines Change*

Disapproval

Change*

Jun 14

Approval

Sep 14

Sep14 Jun14

Jun 14

Sep 14

Sep14 Jun14

Jun 14

Sep 14

Sep14 Jun14

Fighting criminality

54

53

- 1

32

29

- 3

14

18

+ 4

Defending the integrity of Philippine territory against foreigners

47

48

+ 1

37

33

- 4

16

19

+ 3

Increasing peace in the country

50

46

- 4

33

36

+ 3

17

18

+ 1

Fighting graft and corruption in government

42

43

+ 1

31

31

0

27

26

- 1

Enforcing the law to all, whether influential or ordinary people

44

43

- 1

38

36

- 2

18

21

+ 3

Stopping the destruction and abuse of our environment

46

42

- 4

37

40

+ 3

17

19

+ 2

Controlling fast population growth

39

35

- 4

38

39

+ 1

23

27

+ 4

Creating more jobs

37

34

- 3

37

37

0

26

29

+ 3

Improving/Increasing the pay of workers

36

28

- 8

34

36

+ 2

30

36

+ 6

Reducing the poverty of many Filipinos

32

26

- 6

35

35

0

33

39

+ 6

Controlling inflation

26

22

- 4

33

32

- 1

41

46

+ 5

Selected National Issues

Change*

Undecided

*Change = Figures of September 2014 minus Figures of June 2014.

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Nearly half of Filipinos (48%) are of the view that it is still possible to successfully combat governmental corruption; agreement with this opinion becomes more pronounced between December 2013 and September 2014 (+9 percentage points) Amidst the decline in the level of concern for the need to fight corruption in government, 48% of Filipinos are hopeful that corruption in the use of public funds can still be successfully addressed. This opinion is shared by big pluralities to small majorities across geographic areas and socio-economic classes (45% to 54% and 47% to 54%, respectively). An exception is Mindanao where 42% agree with this view while 34% are ambivalent on the matter. On the other hand, almost the same percentages of Filipinos either doubt the possibility of successfully combatting governmental corruption (23%) or express indecision on the matter (28%). (Please refer to Table 6.)

Table 6 AGREEMENT / DISAGREEMENT WITH TEST STATEMENT ON THE CURRENT CONDITION OF GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION September 8 - 15, 2014 / Philippines (In Percent) Base: Total Interviews, 100% "We can still successfully fight the corruption of officials in using public funds."

LOCATION RP

NCR

BL

VIS

CLASS MIN

ABC

D

E

AGREE

48

46

54

45

42

54

48

47

UNDECIDED

28

26

26

29

34

21

29

31

DISAGREE

23

28

20

24

24

25

23

21

B a ba s a hin na m in nga yo n s a inyo a ng ila ng m ga pa ngungus a p. P a k is a bi la m a ng k ung k a yo a y lubo s na s um a s a ng- a yo n, s um a s a ng- a yo n, m a a a ring s um a s a ng- a yo n a t m a a a ring hindi s um a s a ng- a yo n, hindi s um a s a ng- a yo n o lubo s na hindi s um a s a ng- a yo n s a ba wa t is a s a m ga pa ngungus a p na it o ?

C UR R E N T C O N D IT IO N O F G O V E R N M E N T C O R R UP T IO N S P LIT S A M P LE (

) a . KA Y A P A N G M A T A G UM P A Y N A LA B A N A N A N G P A N G UN G UR A KO T N G M G A O P IS Y A L S A P A G G A M IT N G P O N D O N G P A M B A Y A N .

(

) b. H IN D I N A KA Y A N G M A T A G UM P A Y N A LA B A N A N A N G P A N G UN G UR A KO T N G M G A O P IS Y A L S A P A G G A M IT N G P O N D O N G P A M B A Y A N .

N o t e s : ( 1) % A gre e = % V e ry M uc h A gre e plus % A gre e ; % D is a gre e = % D is a gre e plus % V e ry M uc h D is a gre e ( 2 ) F igure s m a y no t a dd up t o 10 0 % due t o ro unding o f f .

There are no significant changes in public opinion regarding corruption in government between June and September 2014. This observation holds true across geographic areas and socio-economic groupings. However, during the period December 2013 and September 2014, hopefulness among Filipinos as regards the possibility of successfully dealing with corruption in government as well as indecision on the matter both become more pronounced (+9 and +11 percentage 9

points, respectively) and, conversely, disagreement becomes less manifest (-20 percentage points). (Please refer to Table 7.)

Table 7 AGREEMENT / DISAGREEMENT WITH TEST STATEMENT ON THE CURRENT CONDITION OF GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION December 2013 to September 2014 / Philippines (In Percent) Base: Total Interviews, 100% "We can still successfully fight the corruption of officials in using public funds."

AGREE

UNDECIDED

DISAGREE

LOCATION

CLASS

RP

NCR

BL

VIS

MIN

ABC

D

E

Sep 14

48

46

54

45

42

54

48

47

Jun 14

45

46

45

41

47

42

44

47

Mar 14

52

53

53

45

56

61

49

56

Dec 13

39

40

48

26

35

34

42

35

Sep 14

28

26

26

29

34

21

29

31

Jun 14

27

23

26

30

30

29

27

28

Mar 14

24

21

19

35

27

18

25

24

Dec 13

17

17

12

21

24

21

17

17

Sep 14

23

28

20

24

24

25

23

21

Jun 14

28

31

30

27

22

29

29

25

Mar 14

24

26

28

20

16

21

25

20

Dec 13

43

44

40

53

41

45

41

48

B a ba s a hin na m in nga yo n s a inyo a ng ila ng m ga pa ngungus a p. P a k is a bi la m a ng k ung k a yo a y lubo s na s um a s a ng- a yo n, s um a s a ng- a yo n, m a a a ring s um a s a ng- a yo n a t m a a a ring hindi s um a s a ng- a yo n, hindi s um a s a ng- a yo n o lubo s na hindi s um a s a ng- a yo n s a ba wa t is a s a m ga pa ngungus a p na it o ?

C UR R E N T C O N D IT IO N OF G O V E R N M E N T C O R R UP T IO N S P LIT S A M P LE (

) a . KA Y A P A N G M A T A G UM P A Y N A LA B A N A N A N G P A N G UN G UR A KO T N G M G A O P IS Y A L S A P A G G A M IT N G P O N D O N G P A M B A Y A N .

(

) b. H IN D I N A KA Y A N G M A T A G UM P A Y N A LA B A N A N A N G P A N G UN G UR A KO T N G M G A O P IS Y A L S A P A G G A M IT N G P O N D O N G P A M B A Y A N .

N o t e s : ( 1) % A gre e = % V e ry M uc h A gre e plus % A gre e ; % D is a gre e = % D is a gre e plus % V e ry M uc h D is a gre e ( 2 ) F igure s m a y no t a dd up t o 10 0 % due t o ro unding o f f .

More particularly, levels of agreement with the possibility of successfully fighting corruption in government go up between December 2013 and September 2014 in the Visayas (+19 percentage points) and Class ABC (+20 percentage points).

Meanwhile, indecision on the matter becomes more notable in the rest of Luzon (+14 percentage points) and Classes D and E (+12 and +14 percentage points, respectively). As for disagreement, it becomes less manifest in all geographic areas and socio-economic groupings (-16 to -29 and -18 to -27 percentage points, respectively).

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