Metro Manila Women Will Not Vote Arroyo
in 2004, Survey Says

A research institute dealing with women’s issues said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the second woman in history to become president of the Philippines, is not the women’s choice for the 2004 presidential elections.

By BULATLAT.COM

The Center for Women’s Concern (CWR) conducted a survey of 1,800 women from various cities in Metro Manila from May 14 to June 8 this year, focusing on the performance of President Arroyo and, based on this, if the respondents would vote her for president in 2004.

Published in the July 2002 issue of CWR’s magazine, Ulat Lila (Purple Report), the results showed that 63% of women surveyed would not vote for Macapagal-Arroyo for president in 2004, when the next presidential derby takes place.

Only 13% said they would vote her while 22% were still undecided. Even if the president gets the support of the undecided, she would still get a minority vote of 35%.

Poor performance

The CWR survey results cited two factors for the low ratings: poor performance and weak leadership. The respondents gave the following rates on Arroyo’s programs:

On job creation, 42% of respondents said the government was not able to create jobs and 27% doubted if she really had a livelihood program. On government’s promise to bring down prices of basic commodities, CWR said 48% of respondents answered that the government was “useless.”

Respondents gave the lowest ratings for programs related with improving public utilities. Fifty-seven percent said the president’s programs were “dismal failures” in terms of bringing down water and electricity rates, while 52% criticized the high prices of oil products.

The most contentious issue for those who said they would not vote for Arroyo was peace and order. All seven items in the questionnaire – hold-ups, kidnapping, car thefts, rapes, drugs, gambling and threats of syndicates – received failed ratings.

On the other hand, respondents gave favorable ratings to the Arroyo government’s health and education programs, particularly on child care and health services. The day care centers and immunization programs implemented by the government were among the projects cited.

Meanwhile, on government program against graft and corruption, the Arroyo government was rated a failure by 50% of the respondents, with 22% saying it has no program at all against corruption.

Desire for real change

According to CWR, the undecided 22% said that they would vote Arroyo in 2004 if they see genuine changes in the next two years, such as a less economic crisis and more attention given to the needs and demands of the citizenry.

But if these are their criteria, noted CWR, the women are in for a long wait. Arroyo’s economic policy, it said, is not meant to provide development for the Filipinos, citing her commitment to globalization and which CWR cites as the reason for the country’s underdevelopment. Bulatlat.com

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