Survey says most Filipinos believe PH moving in 'right direction'

T HREE out of four Filipinos have expressed confidence that the Philippines is moving in the "right direction," according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

The September 15 to 23 poll conducted by the SWS showed that 75 percent of adult Filipinos believed that the country is moving towards the right direction.

The figure is five percentage points higher than the 70 percent recorded in June.

Only 22 percent, or about one in five Filipinos, said the country is in the "wrong direction," while the remaining three percent were ambivalent on the matter.

The belief that the Philippines is in the right direction was highest at 89 percent in President Rodrigo Duterte's bailiwick, Mindanao. It was followed by Balance Luzon (73 percent), the Visayas (69 percent), and Metro Manila (65 percent).

More Filipinos from Classes D (75 percent from 70 percent) and E (72 percent from 70 percent) had the same belief.

But confidence among Class ABC fell by four percentage points to 76 percent from 80 percent.

There were

increases of six percentage points and two percentage points, respectively, among elementary graduates (76 percent), and high school graduates (71 percent).

Belief that the country is in the right direction stayed at 82 percent among college graduates.

SWS noted that net satisfaction with Duterte's performance was at "excellent" +72 among those who say that the country is in right direction, while his administration posted a "very good" +66 net satisfaction score.

Duterte registered a net satisfaction rating of "neutral" -3 among those who say that the Philippines in the wrong direction, while his administration earned a "neutral" +1.

In a separate September survey released earlier by the SWS, Duterte's overall net satisfaction score improved to "very good" +54 from June's "good" +45.

The Duterte government, on the other hand, retained a "very good" rating but dropped to +50 from June's +58.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo expressed hope that the latest SWS survey results "would further engage our people in supporting this administration in building a nation where all Filipinos can experience comfortable and decent lives under a trustworthy government."

"We view this as a reflection of our people’s continued trust and confidence in the President and an affirmation that the policies and programs of the current administration are on the right track. [Duterte] emphasized in numerous occasions that as government workers, we are here to serve the people," Panelo said in a statement.

"Our objective as public servants is thus being able to perform our respective duties well. Therefore, we treat the results of this recent survey not as an accolade but as an inspiration for our men and women in the government as they persist in carrying on with their roles in the service," he added.

Panelo also called on the Filipinos to help the government "realize the President's vision for the Philippines."

The SWS interviewed 1,200 adult respondents for the survey, using sampling error margins of ±3 percentage points for national percentages, ±4 percentage points for Balance Luzon, and ±6 percentage points each for Metro Manila, Visayas, and Mindanao.