Survey ‘slap’ hits Marcos apologists: Solon, analyst see mounting public anger

The precipitous decline in the Marcos administration’s satisfaction rating reflects growing public frustration over stagnant wages, rising living costs and broader governance concerns, according to a labor lawmaker and a political analyst reacting to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

Kamanggagawa Partylist Rep. Eli San Fernando said workers are increasingly dissatisfied with the administration’s failure to prioritize wage reforms, while political analyst Froilan Calilung described the latest survey results as a warning sign that the government must address concerns affecting ordinary Filipinos instead of explaining away the findings.

“The -13 rating of PBBM was a huge slap on the face of Usec. Claire Castro and the Palace. Sweet words and coming up with alibis cannot excuse the plummeting net satisfaction rating of the President. That is the judgment of workers and ordinary Filipinos that the government continues to undermine,” San Fernando said.

The lawmaker’s remarks were apparently directed at Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro, who, during a 16 June press briefing, argued that it was not the President’s responsibility to create legislation increasing the national minimum wage.

Castro said Congress, as the lawmaking body, should not blame the executive branch for its supposed failure to pass wage measures.

“That is your obligation, you should devise the law, you should debate about it, and you should provide the bill so the law can be passed,” Castro said, referring to lawmakers.

‘Excuses’

San Fernando, however, argued that the Palace was merely “hiding behind technicalities” to avoid accountability over the failure to advance wage reforms.

He maintained that the President has the authority to prioritize measures through the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), which identifies bills considered important by the administration and Congress.

“Every ordinary Filipino knows that if the President really wanted to, there is a way. If he doesn’t, there are many excuses. To claim the President has no hand in wages is to treat the President as a mere spectator while workers suffer from frozen pay and soaring inflation,” he said.

Castro is an undersecretary of the Presidential Communications Office headed by Secretary Dave Gomez.

Calilung, meanwhile, said the latest SWS numbers should not be dismissed as a temporary fluctuation.

He described the administration’s current satisfaction rating as “quite low” and indicative of growing public concerns over governance and the government’s ability to respond to issues affecting ordinary Filipinos.

The administration would be better served by addressing the causes of public dissatisfaction rather than focusing on defending the survey results, Calilung added.

Serious warning

He noted that declining ratings often reflect perceptions that government action has fallen short of public expectations, particularly on issues that directly affect the daily lives of citizens.

Calilung added that while Marcos still has time to recover politically, the administration must treat the survey as a serious warning and demonstrate stronger responsiveness to public concerns if it hopes to reverse the downward trend.

San Fernando also pointed to economic pressures confronting Filipino families, noting that inflation and other cost-of-living concerns continue to weigh heavily on workers.

He cited the country’s inflation rate, which he said reached 7.2 percent in April, as well as the continued weakness of the peso against the US dollar, which recently traded at P60.72 to the dollar after reaching as high as P62.86 earlier this year.

The lawmaker said the executive branch could not simply claim that it had no influence over policies affecting workers, particularly when it comes to fiscal and economic decisions.

He pointed to the position of the President’s economic managers, along with Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, on measures seeking to reduce the burden on consumers, including proposals to lower or suspend taxes on fuel and electricity.

Floodgate

“Don’t let them tell you that economic managers only recommend. Who was the person blocking the legislated wage hike during committee hearings? Who continues to stand firm against the removal, decrease, or even the suspension of VAT and excise taxes on oil and electricity? Was it not the President’s economic team?” San Fernando said.

The latest SWS findings also came amid heightened political tensions surrounding the multibillion-peso flood-control controversy, which has dominated national discussion in recent months.

The issue intensified following allegations raised in connection with the ongoing investigation into flood-control projects, including claims by former congressman Zaldy Co and several of his security personnel that billions of pesos in alleged kickbacks had been distributed to high-ranking government officials, including President Marcos.

Malacañang has repeatedly denied the accusations.

San Fernando warned that public dissatisfaction could deepen if the administration continues to distance itself from issues directly affecting workers.

“If the administration continues to treat workers’ survival as someone else’s job, then they should get used to hitting rock bottom in the surveys,” he added.

With President Marcos set to deliver his State of the Nation Address on 27 July, San Fernando challenged the media to press the administration on the status of wage reform measures and other worker-related concerns.