(Eagle News)–Majority House leader Fredenil Castro on Wednesday, May 1, welcomed the improved net satisfaction ratings of the House of Representatives based on a recent Social Weather Stations survey.
In a statement, Castro said the increase was “much appreciated” by House members “considering the negative accusations thrown” in the Chamber’s “path months before.”
The Senate had accused the House of violating the Constitution when it inserted what the Upper Chamber said were “alignments” in the already Congress-ratified version of the budget bill.
House appropriations chair Rolando Andaya said, however, that these were mere itemizations to make the bill easier to scrutinize.
President Rodrigo Duterte vetoed several provisions of the bill transmitted by Congress, including the House insertions.
“We are energized to see that our citizens appreciate uprightness in our work and our efforts to become transparent on how every centavo will be spent,” Castro said, noting that “political mudslinging will never be an obstacle.”
He added their “determination to do what is right was also buoyed by the recent upgrade of our ratings by (Standard and Poor’s) given to (President Duterte’s) governance as we have always been partners with the executive on fiscal stability and economic reforms.”
“HOR’s ratings is not about us but it’s about the satisfaction of hearing the voice of approval of the constituencies that we represent,” he said.
In the March 2018 survey, the House netted a 61% satisfied rating and 13% dissatisfied rating, classified by the SWS as good.
The Cabinet also netted a good rating, while the Supreme Court and the Senate got very good ones, the pollster said.