Arroyo disapproval rating reaches record high — Pulse Asia

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s disapproval rating reached a record-breaking 59 percent less than three months before she steps down from office, according to a latest survey. The 59-percent disapproval rating is the highest President Arroyo received since March 2001, according to Pulse Asia, the firm that conducted the survey. "The current overall approval score of President Arroyo is the lowest she has received since becoming president in January 2001," the poll firm said. It noted that the rating was higher by 1 percent compared to the score the President received at the height of the "Hello, Garci" scandal in June 2005 when the legitimacy of her presidency was being questioned. Mrs. Arroyo is set to step down from Malacañang on June 30. She is running for congresswoman of Pampanga's second district in next month's elections. Pulse Asia said only 14 percent were "appreciative" of President Arroyo's performance, while more than one-fourth, or 27 percent, said they cannot decide whether to approve or disapprove of the President. A total of 3,000 respondents aged 18 and above were interviewed for the Pulse Asia survey.

The survey, with a ±2 percent margin of error, was conducted from March 21 to 28 using face-to-face interviews. Around that period, the Supreme Court declared that President Arroyo has the authority to appoint the next chief justice. Concerns over the conduct of the country's first fully automated elections nationwide also intensified around that time, as the campaign period for local candidates began. It was also around that time when news came out that there is a rift between President Arroyo and National Police chief Dir. Gen. Jesuz Verzosa, which Malacañang had denied. Meanwhile, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile got the highest approval rating among selected government officials with 41 percent, according to the same survey. The re-electionist senator also got the lowest disapproval rating with 20 percent. Enrile was also the only official whose approval ratings rose since October 2009. Next to President Arroyo, House Speaker Prospero Nograles got the second lowest approval rating at 16 percent. Vice President Noli De Castro got an approval rating of 32 percent, while 24 percent of the respondents said they approve of outgoing Chief Justice Reynato Puno's performance. More than one-third of the respondents said they were uncertain about whether they approve or disapprove of the performances of Enrile (39 percent), Nograles (42 percent), De Castro (35 percent) and Puno (43 percent). — KBK/RSJ, GMANews.TV