SWS: Filipinos' trust in UN, EU drops 

Filipinos' trust in the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) has dropped, based on the Social Weather Stations' (SWS) latest survey.

The SWS said that of the 1,200 adults surveyed from March 25 to 28, 58 percent have "much trust" and 13 percent have little trust in the UN while 27 percent were undecided.

The results yielded the UN's "very good" +45 net trust rating.

The SWS, however, noted that the trust rating dropped by three points from the December 2016 survey's +48.

The SWS also took note that the net satisfaction rating of the UN remains to be at "good levels" since the first survey in November 1994.

Meanwhile, the same survey showed that 40 percent of the respondents have "much trust" and 21 percent have little trust in the EU while 36 percent were undecided.

The EU garnered a "moderate" rating of +19, which was a seven-point drop from the December 2016 survey result of +26.

The SWS said the survey has sampling error margins of ±3% for national percentages, and ±6% each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

President Rodrigo Duterte had repeatedly lambasted both international bodies for criticizing his war on drugs.

Last month, at least 45-member states of the United Nations Human Rights Council expressed alarm over the alleged crimes against humanity in the country blamed on Duterte's war on drugs.

The Philippine government, meanwhile, had recently said that it will not accept grants from the EU that "have the potential of affecting the autonomy of the country.”

First time

The SWS also said that based on the latest survey, the Amnesty International (AI) received a +8 "neutral" grade with 31 percent of respondents having much trust and 22 percent with little trust on the agency and 39 percent undecided.

The SWS said it was the first time that it included the organization in the survey.

The AI had also expressed alarm over the recorded deaths in the government's war on drugs.

The SWS classifies net satisfaction ratings of at least +70 as “excellent”; +50 to +69 as “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” as well as -70 and below as “execrable." —ALG, GMA News