MALACANANG yesterday attributed the “very high” personal net optimism of Filipinos to the Duterte government’s decision to prioritize health and the economy in its coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic response.
Communications Secretary and acting presidential spokesman Martin Andanar said Malacanang still welcomed the “very high” +39 Net Personal Optimism in the April 19 to 27 Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey despite it being down from the equally “very high” +42 rating in December 2021 and below the “very high” +44 pre-pandemic rating in December 2019.
Andanar said the Duterte Administration has put a premium on both health and the economy when it addressed the pandemic.
“Central to the success of our pandemic response is maintaining our vigilance against COVID-19 with strict adherence to minimum public health standards while ensuring the country’s socioeconomic recovery, where livelihood opportunities are available, hunger is eased, and quality of life is improved,” he said.
SWS found that 44 percent of the respondents are optimists or see the quality of their lives improving in the next 12 months while 39 percent said their lives will remain the same and four percent said it will worsen or pessimists.
This resulted in a net optimism score of +39 (percent of optimists minus percent of pessimists) that SWS classified as very high.
