GMA rating plunges
to record -38
Only 1 out of 5 satisfied, SWS survey shows
BY WENDELL VIGILA
PRESIDENT Arroyo has registered a
record-low negative performance rating for a president
since 1986 despite her various programs to fight poverty
and the looming global food and energy crises, the
second quarter survey of the Social Weather Stations
showed.
The SWS survey, conducted from June
27 to 30, said the President's net satisfaction rating
plunged to -38 from -33 in May 2005.
The survey found that only 22 percent
of the respondents are satisfied with the President's
performance while 60 percent remain dissatisfied.
THE Catholic Bishops Conference of the
Philippines yesterday called for transparency on the use
of funds being allotted by the government to its pro-poor
programs.
Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, CBCP
president, said the government should be open to scrutiny
over the subsidies to ensure that the billions of pesos
indeed goes to the intended beneficiaries and "not the
pockets of some officials."
Lagdameo asked the public to be
vigilant on how the money is disbursed.
A P3 per liter increase starting today will
place the price of diesel, the fuel used by jeepneys and buses,
on the same level as those of gasoline.
Unleaded gasoline costs P58.75 to P60.57 a
liter. With the P3 increase, diesel will cost P57.48 to P59.47 a
liter.
Small oil firms Seaoil, Eastern Petroleum,
Flying V, and Unioil announced the increase in diesel prices.
The majors Petron, Shell and Caltex are expected to follow.
