There is something wrong in the way Ferdinand Marcos Jr. looks at statistics. In his statement, he gloated over the result of the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey in December 2024 which revealed that 59% of adult Filipino respondents were satisfied with his performance.
He failed to add that when gauging the actual satisfaction rating, researchers look at the net satisfaction rating, which means that Marcos Jr.’s actual satisfaction rating was only 36% since 23% or respondents are dissatisfied with his performance and 17% were neutral. This means that the 17% are a tad removed from regarding him as a failure and technically, this 40% of the respondents may even rise.
Moreover, SWS said the rating did not change from September 2024 and is actually a decline from the “good” +40 recorded in June 2024. Taken diachronically, there was a reduction of 4% from the June survey, an indication that between June 2024 and December 2024, more Filipinos were dissatisfied with Marcos Jr.’s performance. You do not gain a higher satisfaction rating when rice prices are sky-high, fuel costs increase weekly and the real inflation eats into the already meager minimum wage.
As one wag says, it is very hard to do nothing because you do not know when to stop. But then, Marcos Jr. took the SWS deteriorating net satisfaction rating aside and trumpeted the survey result as validating his government’s performance. “Of course, it’s always good to see that what we are doing is reaching most – the majority of people – and that they feel the impact of our work,” Marcos said in response to the survey. Yet, the latest SWS survey results clash with the Pulse Asia poll that found 67% of Filipinos rating themselves as poor and more than 50% as hungry.
Thus, Marcos Jr. should not congratulate himself for misinterpreting statistics and not looking into the nuances behind the figures offered by the SWS. Looking into the more relevant statistics, his regime should tackle the proposed puny P200 wage hike as Filipino workers push for the enactment of a law setting a P1,200 family living wage nationwide. The demand could be granted in the wake of the stream of glowing reports about huge corporate profits, giving the impression that the economy is surging when it has actually sputtered, with the gross domestic product (GDP) rising by only 5.2% last year, well below the 6% target.
The same day Marcos Jr. praised his performance, thousands of furious Filipinos trooped to the Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila to condemn the Marcos Jr government for its failure to address rising prices, worsening poverty, widespread corruption and continuing impunity that has led to the murders of activists and the filing of harassment suits against leaders of progressive organizations. “The January 31 protest reflects public dissatisfaction and outrage over the inept leadership of Marcos. As families reel from the cost-of-living crisis, Marcos and his allies have designed and passed a budget law with bloated pork barrel funds intended for vote- buying,” the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) said.
Those who speak with their feet in marches and pickets are a better gauge of what is troubling the nation. They reaffirm the public’s disgruntlement over a regime that continues to follow the playbook of the unlamented Rodrigo Duterte, who doubled the country’s debt, plundered the national budget and weakened the country’s position on the South China Sea (SCS) dispute by his puppetry to China. “Meanwhile, the citizen-led impeachment initiative aimed at pursuing accountability against corrupt officials like VP Sara Duterte is hostaged by the self-serving machinations of Marcos. As Congress is about to adjourn for the election campaign, Bayan calls for sustained protest actions to demand the immediate transmittal of the impeachment complaints against Duterte,” the group added.
Bayan also calls for the urgent passage of legislated wage hike bills, noting that contrary to the position of neoliberal economists, Filipino workers have increased labor productivity and subsidized the superprofits of corporations. He should focus on alleviating the hardships of working families and approve the P1,200 family living wage pronto. Bayan also urged Marcos Jr. to let Congress endorse the impeachment of Sara Zimmerman Duterte Carpio for graft, fiscal mismanagement, misuse of public funds, violations of COA circulars and her flouting of the law and common decency. Bayan is mounting a vigil in front of the Batasang Pambansa to push for the impeachment of Duterte Jr.
