80% of Filipinos trust government: survey

FILE: Facade of the Malacañang Palace as seen from Pasig River. (Photo By Official Gazette of the Philippines, Public Domain)

MANILA  —  Trust with the government has almost tripled this year, as more Filipinos are now more satisfied with its ability to ensure peace and security, provide job opportunities and help the poor, a national survey showed.

The 5th Philippine Trust Index (PTI), a survey by communications agency EON Group, revealed that 80 percent of Filipinos trust the government in 2017, up 30 percentage points from 50 percent in 2015.

The survey results, which were based on responses from 1,200 Filipinos aged 18 and above from March to April 2017, indicated that extreme trust in the government almost tripled to 29 percent this year from 12 percent two years ago.

It indicated that Filipinos are most satisfied with how the government has been putting corrupt politicians in jail (47 percent), preparing communities for disasters and calamities (46 percent) and ensuring national security (43 percent).

The most radical increases are seen in the people’s satisfaction with the government’s economic prowess, particularly its ability to improve the Philippine economy and to support industry development.

The Office of the President (OP) this year is the most trusted government sub-institution, surpassing local government units (LGUs) despite the gains of the latter.

OP had an unprecedented jump in extreme trust at 24 percentage points and overall trust at 31 percentage point levels.

The Office of the Vice President, however, has the lowest trust ratings in 2017.

Meanwhile, Filipinos are most likely to trust government agencies with which they always interact, as indicated by their trust on agencies which provide social services.

Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth), Social Security System (SSS) and Department of Education (DepEd) are at the top of the list with at least 93 percent of Filipinos putting their trust ¬¬in these agencies.

The government is among the four out of society’s six institutions that gained the trust and favor of the Filipino people in 2017.

Others are the business sector, academe and non-governmental organization (NGO). Trust in the Church and the media stagnated this year.

The PTI said extreme trust in business industries are also on the rise this 2017, with almost all businesses are now more trusted by Filipinos compared to two years ago.

The manufacturing and food and beverages (F&B) industries gained the most trust in the past two years (10 percentage points jump each), while the water and sanitation industry is the sole stagnant industry.

“For Filipinos, how businesses treat their employees is the primary determinant of trust and distrust in the institution,” it noted.

The most important drivers of trust are tied to employee welfare, like providing good salaries and benefits and cultivating a fair and non-discriminatory workplace, as well as good customer service. (PNA)