Atin Ito First Filipino Community Newspaper in Ontario
There is nothing like a populist survey to gauge the efficiency of government agencies especially in the area of delivery of services to the public.
Surveys, if conducted under strict scientific procedures, are important and reliable tools that will guide government in planning and policy-making. They also benefit both the regulators and the regulated (the public) by acting as a platform for feedback, opinions and responses.
The polls conducted by legitimate polling firms provide researchers and the general public with usable and reliable primary data to help leaders make policy decisions in business and governance.
Surveys are important because the data comes directly from the individuals within a certain sector or geographical unit. These polls also give everyone a detailed, systematic way to view and analyze the data gathered or to validate models.
One can say that a survey has been successful if the collected data are clearly a representative position of the group being surveyed, allowing researchers and leaders to make informed decisions or draw conclusions.
A recent survey by Publicus Asia called PAHAYAG 2023 Second Quarter Survey (PQ2) showed that among government agencies, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) garnered the highest level of approval at 72 percent and trust at 58 percent.
Sharing the second to third spots among the most approved and trusted government agencies are the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
The AFP has expressed gratitude to the public as it continued to be among the most “approved and trusted” government agencies nationwide. However, the survey showed that the AFP has experienced a “slight decline” in its approval rating at 66 percent and trust rating at 56 percent, compared to its 69 percent approval rating and 59 percent trust rating in the first quarter survey.
Lt. Col. Enrico Gil Ileto, chief of AFP public affairs office, said that they will take the survey results as a “challenge to further improve the performance of our mandate as protector of the people and the state.”
Ileto added they are in touch with Publicus Asia regarding the survey to better understand what areas of their services could be further improved to ensure that they remain worthy of the Filipino’s trust and approval.
Other government agencies in the list are the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Education and Commission on Higher Education, Department of Tourism and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Health, and Philippine National Police.
The independent and non-commissioned survey was conducted from June 7 to 12 among 1,500 respondents randomly drawn from a market research panel of over 200,000 Filipinos across National Capital Region, North Central Luzon, South Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
Following the example of the Armed Forces, we hope that other government departments and offices will revisit their operations and systems and peruse whatever results, favorable or not, that are churned out by the reliable survey firms.
This way, the mechanism of responses and feedback between government and its constituents and clientele will be enhanced.
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Credit belongs to: www.mb.com.ph
