Filipinos became less satisfied with their institutions in the second quarter of the year, albeit in varying degrees, according to the latest survey of Social Weather Stations.
The House of Representatives was down 10 points to +25 net satisfaction rating, the Senate by 4 points to +41, the Supreme Court by 1 point to +25 and the Cabinet of President Rodrigo Duterte by 3 points to +25 from their levels at the end of the first quarter.
The survey was taken between June 27 and June 30 among 1,200 respondents across the country.
This was a month after Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno had been ousted with finality through quo warranto proceedings, and Senator Vicente Sotto III had replaced Senator Aquilino Pimentel III as Senate president.
It was also a few days after President Rodrigo Duterte had uttered his “What kind of stupid God?” statement.
More than satisfaction with individual government officials, sentiments about institutions are an important gauge of how Filipinos feel they are being served by their government. Individuals come and go, and are good only for the term they are elected of the period covered by their appointment. Their personal background, decorum and statements affect the way they are perceived by the people, and sometimes, these do not automatically add up to how well or how poorly they are doing their jobs.
Institutions, on the other hand, are seen as a collective, separate from the individuals that make it up. It is a collection of established policies and processes that are ideally separate from the personalities who run it.
In the end, our stakes are greater on the institutions because these ensure that government is being run properly to serve the needs of the people.
The slight drops in perception should push these institutions’ leaders to work harder and govern better.