Gearing toward 2013

INSIDE CONGRESS

By Charlie V. Manalo

Last week, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) released the results of its latest survey showing President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino’s net satisfaction rating, at its just lowest just three months ago, suddenly surging to an all-time high of +67 percent. According to the SWS, this was the result of 77 percent of the 1,200 respondents expressing satisfaction with the President’s performance in the past three months with only 10 percent saying said they were not satisfied.

What is rather puzzling is that the SWS did not offer any explanation as to how the President’s net satisfaction rating jumped by 25 points even as nothing spectacular happened within the last three months to merit such recovery.

Further complicating the issue was the entry of Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO) Secretary Ramon Carandang, who acted as the SWS official spokesman, attributing the President’s high rating to the successful impeachment of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Hello?! The Corona impeachment happened eons ago! In fact, if the results of the survey of the same opinion polling firm taken just a few days before the Senate handed its guilty verdict of Mr. Corona, it could be surmised the people disapproved of the way the Palace was handling the Corona case as Aquino’s net satisfaction rating then had dropped to its lowest of 42 percent, down by seven points from this net score from the March SWS survey.

If indeed the people approve of the Corona impeachment, why then would the survey, take just two days before the Senate was about to decide on the case, May 24 to 27 to be exact, and at the height of Aquino’s vilification of the former Chief Justice, would show a drop on the President’s net satisfaction rating.

Ergo, the result of the Corona impeachment could not be taken here as a justification for the surge in the President satisfaction rating. And what would merit such a surge? Nothing.

On the contrary, two of the most recent developments could easily point to a drop of Aquino’s satisfaction rating (which ironically, did not show in the latest SWS survey).

First, the massive flooding which devastated almost half of the country just weeks before the survey was conducted.

The flooding again exposed the weakness of the administration in responding to disaster situations. The issue of the flood control projects of the previous administration cancelled by Aquino, again became the center of the news. Aggravating the matter for this administration was the flak it received in the relief operations it pursued, highly criticized as Aquino, with his bunch of 2013 senatoriables, were pictured as if they were on a campaign rail rather than on a relief mission.

Second, was the plane crash which claimed the lives of Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo and his two pilots. At the height of the search and rescue operation for Robredo, Aquino was said to have been caught enjoying a lavish dinner complete with champagne right at the beach which served as the command post for the team involved in the search and rescue operation for the late Cabinet Secretary.

On those two occasions, the president was highly criticized. And the survey was conducted just a few days after the two incidents. So what could be the mot plausible explanation for ht e25-point surge in Aquino’s net satisfaction rating?

Again, nothing. Except maybe that this survey is intended to serve as a mind-conditioning agent for the 2013 midterm elections. It’s all geared toward that end.

The crucial revelation in this so-called SWS survey is the fact that Aquino got a 77 percent approval rating from the respondents, who would later be repacked as voters. And with 77 percent of the voters expressing satisfaction for Aquino, what would stop them from voting for the President’s anointed candidates in 2013?

Garnering 77 percent of the voters’ trust does not translate to a batting average of 75 to 80 percent winning score in the 2013 elections and the opposition, in this case UNA, getting 10 percent or even the rest of the seats as what the survey suggests.

Getting 77 percent of the voters’ against the opposition’s 10 percent literally translates to getting 10 percent of the Senate seats!

And this is far worse than the allegations of Maguindanao Provincial administrator Norie Unas that he heard former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo having ordered Andal Ampatuan to deliver a 12-0 victory for her candidates in the 2007 senatorial elections.

For if indeed it is true, Mrs. Arroyo’s order to Ampatuan would not serve any purpose but a mere lip service as no president in his or her right mind would ask any of his or her minions to deliver an 8-4 or 10-2, victory for their candidates. A good leader would always ask for the maximum result.

But this so-called SWS survey is far worse. It is like telling the President’ men nothing could go wrong in the 2013 elections. That they could do anything to win it all and the people will approve of it.

And with the questionable PCOS once again playing its role, anything and everything is possible.

So, expect the biggest cheating in the history of Philippine politics come 2013. The die has been cast.