‘I wish lola will be President forever!’

Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 02:11:00 12/30/2009





Filed Under: Government, Family, Politics, Inquirer Politics, Eleksyon 2010


Original Story: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20091230-244637/I-wish--lola-will-be-President-forever


MANILA, Philippines—To be president forever is the Christmas wish of one of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s granddaughters for her grandmother.

“I wish that my lola, I mean … I hope she’ll be President forever!” 5-year-old Marie Angelique said on Sunday in Baguio, the abs-cbnnews website reported on Monday.

Marie Angelique, daughter of Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo, gave the answer when asked by reporters about her Christmas wish for her grandparents after the Arroyos attended Mass at St. Joseph Church.

The President, whose term ends in June 2010 after nine years in Malacañang, is vacationing with her family in Baguio.

Barred by the Constitution from seeking another term, Ms Arroyo is running for a congressional seat in her home province, Pampanga, in the May general elections.

Marie Angelique’s wish may not sit well with the public, however.

Public dissatisfaction high

Public dissatisfaction with Ms Arroyo’s performance remains high, according to the latest Social Weather Stations survey.

Sixty-one percent of those interviewed by SWS from Dec. 5 to 10 were dissatisfied with Ms Arroyo’s performance. Only 23 percent expressed satisfaction, resulting in a net rating of negative 38.

Classified as “bad” by SWS, the negative 38 was similar to the rating Ms Arroyo got in September, when 62 percent of the respondents were dissatisfied and only 23 percent were satisfied.

“Dissatisfaction eased in Luzon outside Metro Manila, but worsened in the Visayas and Mindanao,” SWS said in a statement Tuesday.

Noncommissioned survey

The noncommissioned survey, which used face-to-face interviews with 2,100 adults nationwide, had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points.

Compared with the previous quarter, Ms Arroyo’s net satisfaction rating rose 10 points in Luzon outside Metro Manila from negative 45 (19 percent satisfied and 64 percent dissatisfied) in September to negative 35 (24 percent satisfied and 59 percent dissatisfied) in December.

It also rose by two points in Metro Manila from negative 46 (21 percent satisfied and 66 percent dissatisfied, rounded off) to negative 44 (19 percent satisfied and 63 percent dissatisfied).

Down in VisMin

Ms Arroyo’s net satisfaction rating, however, declined by 13 points in the Visayas from negative 32 (26 percent satisfied and 58 percent dissatisfied) in September to negative 45 in the latest survey.

It also fell in Mindanao by 8 points from the previous quarter’s negative 27 (30 percent satisfied and 57 percent dissatisfied) to negative 35 percent (26 percent satisfied and 60 percent dissatisfied).

In urban areas, Ms Arroyo’s net satisfaction rating rose 4 points from the previous quarter’s negative 44 to negative 40. In rural areas, the figure hardly changed from negative 34 in September to negative 35 this month.

Very bad among class ABC

Dissatisfaction eased in the ABC socioeconomic classes. Ms Arroyo’s net rating rose 20 points from a “very bad” negative 54 (17 percent satisfied and 70 percent dissatisfied, rounded off) in September to a “bad” negative 34 (27 percent satisfied and 62 percent dissatisfied, rounded off) in December.

The rating stayed “bad” in Class D (from negative 39 to negative 40) and in Class E (from negative 34 to negative 35).

The latest SWS survey notes that among women, satisfaction with Ms Arroyo was 23 percent and dissatisfaction was 60 percent, bringing her net rating to negative 37.

Among men, satisfaction also stayed at 23 percent, while dissatisfaction was 62 percent, or a net rating of negative 39. Report from Lawrence de Guzman, Inquirer Research


Original Story: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20091230-244637/I-wish--lola-will-be-President-forever