Social Climate By Mahar Mangahas Philippine Daily Inquirer

Not only President Noynoy Aquino but also other top officials achieved new personal bests in public satisfaction in the third quarter 2012

Social Weather Survey, which was conducted last Aug. 24-27 and released through BusinessWorld the last two Fridays.

The President. Compared to the second quarter 2012 survey of May 24-27, the percentage satisfied with P-Noys performance rose to 77 from 63, and the percentage dissatisfied with him fell to 10 from 21.

Consequently, his net satisfaction rating rose from +42 in May to +67 in August, topping his previous best of +64 in November 2010. Both his old and new personal bests are classified by SWS as Very Good (+50 to +69).

P-Noys net rating rose most of all in the National Capital Region, from merely +18 (Moderate) in May to +59 in August. It also rose significantly in Balance of Luzon, from +41 (Good) to +70 (Excellent), and in the Visayas, from +41 (Good) to +76 (Excellent). In Mindanao, it was at a Very Good + 61 in both May and August.

Everyone is entitled to do her/his own analysis of the survey findings. Personally, I do not emphasize too much the timing of the interviewsthat is to say, during the tragic week of mourning for the lost Interior Secretary Jesse Robredobecause I prefer to look at the total picture encompassing the two successive quarters, in which the obvious big difference was the ouster of Chief Justice Renato Corona. For that very popular move, the people apparently give credit not only to P-Noy but also to other top officials.

Another remarkable thing is that this new personal best has happened as late as the ninth quarter of P-Noys term, when the honeymoon should normally be over. In the surveys closest to their ninth quarters, the net ratings of Presidents Cory Aquino and Fidel V. Ramos were +64 and +55, respectivelyalso Very Good, but below P-Noys nowwhile that of Joseph Erap Estrada was merely +13 (Moderate). Their respective personal bests of +72, +69 and +67 happened much earlier in their terms. (Comparing with Gloria Arroyo is no use, since her personal best in nine years as president was a mere +30.)

The Vice President. Vice President Jojo Binay likewise scored a new personal best in August, with 82 percent satisfied versus only 6 percent dissatisfied, for a net rating of +76, after already having posted successive excellent +70s in both the first and the second quarters. His previous best was +74 in March 2011.

To me, it is proper to compare a vice president not with a president but with previous VPs. As popular as Jojo Binay presently is, some past VPs were even more popular. In FVRs time, his VP

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Second honeymoons