This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. V, No. 22, July 10-16, 2005
Gloria Must
Go, Youth Say in Survey
Even prior to the public statement of 10 Cabinet members that the
President should resign, the sentiments of the youth are already for her removal
from office. A recent youth survey shows that the youth find the President as
largely an ineffective leader due to her inability address vital national
concerns.
By Carl Marc Ramota
Amid mounting calls for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's
ouster, an independent youth research group said majority of the youth wants her
to resign.
According to a June 15-July 1 survey by the Institute for
Nationalist Studies (INS), 495 respondents (58 percent) demanded Arroyo's
resignation from office while only 5 percent of the respondents said she should
stay. Meanwhile, 24 percent of the respondents called for unity amid political
uncertainties.
INS spokesperson Joseph Cuevas said the survey's result is not
surprising at all, considering that 74 percent of the respondents believes
Arroyo rigged the results of the 2004 elections.
Ineffective leader
Cuevas added that 65 percent of the respondents think Arroyo is
an ineffective leader.
"Arroyo's all-time low approval rating of negative 33 percent is
not only due to her direct involvement in fraud in last year's elections but
also because she has failed to provide for the basic needs of the youth," he
said.
He said Arroyo's policies on subsidy reduction in state schools
and deregulation of tuition pose a bleak future for the youth.
Most of the respondents said that Arroyo was not able to deliver
substantial reforms in major concerns like education (83 percent), employment
(82 percent), peace and order (70 percent) and corruption (79 percent).
On the other hand, 87 percent of the respondents said that
Arroyo's policies, such as the enactment of the expanded value-added tax (E-VAT)
law, made life harder for ordinary Filipinos. Sixty percent of those surveyed
said that Arroyo does not have respect for human rights amid unresolved cases of
killings involving journalist and activists.
Decreasing support
Meanwhile, 49 respondents (6 percent) said that they voted for
Arroyo in 2004, but most of them have already lost their confidence in her
leadership.
Only eight respondents (0.95 percent) said that Arroyo was an
effective president. On the other hand, 44 percent of respondents said that
Arroyo should voluntarily resign.
The INS also conducted two surveys on the youth's electoral
preference in February and May 2004. The results showed that Arroyo was never
the first choice of the youth, ranking only fourth (13 percent) and second (21
percent) respectively as the youth's choice for president.
Cuevas said the recent survey results reflect the sentiments of
majority of the youth on the issues hounding the president. Earlier, student
groups from several schools including De La Salle Univeristy and Ateneo de
Manila, and different youth organizations called for Arroyo's resignation.
Eight hundred forty-two respondents participated in the INS
survey which was conducted from June 15 to July 1, 2005 in several schools and
communities in Metro Manila. These include the University of the Philippines,
Ateneo de Manila University, University of Santo Tomas, University of the East,
Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Philippine Maritime Institute, Culiat
High School, Ramon Magsaysay High School, Quirino High School and communities in
Sampaloc and Caloocan City.
The survey has a margin of error of +/ -3. Bulatlat © 2004 Bulatlat
■
Alipato Publications Permission is granted to reprint or redistribute this article, provided its author/s and Bulatlat are properly credited and notified.
Bulatlat