Senate President Migz Zubiri expressed elation and gratitude over the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey results showing that the Senate has received the highest net satisfaction rating among top government institutions at +68, which is also the highest Senate rating in SWS history since 1988.
“It heartens me to know that our people continue to approve of our work in the Senate. Nakakataba po ng puso,” Zubiri said. “Definitely, this inspires us more to work double time and do even better for the country.”
“It is good to know that we have thus far been able to live up to the public’s trust.”
“I thank our people for their trust, not only in their senators but also the Senate as an institution. We always strive to uphold the Senate as the ultimate bastion of democracy, and it is good to know that we have thus far been able to live up to the public’s trust,” the veteran legislator added.
In the Fourth Quarter 2022 SWS survey conducted from December 10- 14, 2022, the Senate received a “very good” rating of +68. Among those polled, 75 percent said they are satisfied with the performance of the Senate, up 5 percent from the SWS October 2022 findings.
The upper chamber’s net satisfaction rating was highest in Zubiri’s home region of Mindanao at +81; followed by Balance Luzon at +68, Metro Manila at +63, and the Visayas at +59. Compared to October 2022, it improved from +73 in Mindanao, +59 in Balance Luzon, and +58 in Metro Manila.
The seasoned lawmaker also expressed gratitude for the “endearment” of the people where the Senate showed an “excellent” score at +77 in rural areas and “very good” score at +60 from urban area dwellers.
The ratings showed an increase from +66 in rural areas and hardly changed at +61 in urban areas compared to the October 2022 results.
The Senate also enjoys “very good” to “excellent” satisfaction ratings across basic demographics of sex, age group, and educational attainment ranging from +61 to +72, including the double-digit increases from 18- to-24-year-olds, elementary graduates, and senior high school or vocational graduates.
The uncommissioned survey showed the net satisfaction rating of the House of Representatives at +56, the Supreme Court at +53, and the Cabinet as a whole at +50.
“The Senate has cemented its place in the hearts of Filipinos as a trusted institution.”
Zubiri noted that the Senate has consistently topped public satisfaction ratings since the late 1980s, “which shows that the Senate has cemented its place in the hearts of Filipinos as a trusted institution”.
The senator credited team effort for the productive work of the Senate which has thus far yielded the enactment into law of five measures, namely Republic Act (RA) 11934 (Subscriber Identity Module Registration Act), RA 11935 (Postponement of the December 2022 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections), RA 11936 (General Appropriations Act 2023), RA 11937 (Philippine Citizenship to Justin Donta Brownlee), and RA 11938 (Charter of the City of Carmona).
In February, the Senate also gave its concurrence to the ratification of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement, the largest regional free trade agreement in the world, which covers all members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as well as Japan, South Korea, China, Australia, and New Zealand.
From the period July 25, 2022 to March 22, 2023, the Senate also ratified two conference committee reports on Senate Bill (SB) 1849, which seeks to strengthen professionalism in the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and SB 1850, which, if signed into law, will unburden agrarian reform beneficiaries from payment of agrarian reform debts.
Also approved on third reading are SB 1841 (Cultural Mapping Bill), SB 1290 (Walkable and Bikeable Communities Act), SB 1604 (ARAL Program Act), SB 1594 (One Town, One Product Act), SB 1359 (No Permit, No Exam Prohibition Act), SB 1864 (Student Loan Payment Moratorium During Disasters and Emergencies Act), as well as 13 local bills related to the education sector.
