Nograles shrugs off poor ratings; opposition solons say Cha-cha to blame

MANILA, Philippines - House Speaker Prospero Nograles on Monday brushed off the latest survey results that gave him the lowest net satisfaction rating among the four top government officials. Oposition lawmakers, however, said Nograles should take his poor ratings seriously and refrain from further pushing for Charter change, an issue that they said is staunchly opposed by the public. In a text message to reporters, Nograles said he has no national political agenda so he is not bothered by the -17 net satisfaction rating that he got from the December 2008 Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey. "My own ratings do not matter because I have no national political agenda. But if survey shows congressmen, congresswomen, and House employees are not satisfied with my performance, then I will truly be worried sick," Nograles said. Nograles’ December net satisfaction rating was five points lower than the -12 he got in September. It also surpassed his previous record low of -15. Nograles got the lowest rating among four government officials rated in the survey, including Vice President Noli de Castro, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, and Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno. For their net satisfaction ratings, De Castro received +39, Enrile +5, and Puno -4. The House of Representatives as an institution, meanwhile, got a neutral net satisfaction rating of 9, two points down from the moderate rating of +11 in the previous quarter, the SWS said. In a press conference, lawmakers from the minority coalition said Nograles's poor ratings may be due to his consistent push for Charter change and the non-extension of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) with compulsory acquisition. "Tingin ko isang dahilan diyan Cha-cha. Tinutulak ni Speaker yan mula pa nung isang taon... Ayaw na ng tao e and it would be a waste of people's time, of Congress's time, para itulak pa itong Cha-cha," Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teodoro Casiño said. ["I think one of the reasons is Cha-cha. The Speaker has been pushing for that since last year...The people do not want Charter change, and it would be a waste of people's time, of Congress's time, to still push for Cha-cha."] This was echoed by fellow Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo, who said the House should focus on other priority legislation instead of setting aside time for constitutional amendment discussions. "Give up na lang yan, focus on the more important issues of the economy [Let's give that up and focus on the more important issues of the economy]," Ocampo said. Nograles is the author of House Resolution No. 737 which seeks to relax the 1987 Constitution's economic provisions. The resolution is set to be tackled by the Committee on Constitutional Amendments next week. For her part, Akbayan party-list Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel said Nograles would get a poorer rating had the respondents been farmers, whom she said he failed when he pushed for a six-month extension of the agrarian reform programs sans the compulsory mode of land acquisition. Nograles had said the six-month extension would buy lawmakers time to further discuss the contentious issue. Hontiveros said Nograles has promised twice - one in June and one in December last year - that the House would vote on CARP extension but that he failed to deliver on his promise. "Promise ng promise, di naman tumutupad sa panahon na pinapromise niya [He always promises, but he doesn't deliver on his promise]," Hontiveros said. - GMANews.TV