DepEd tops trust survey among government agencies, OCTA Research says
The Department of Education (DepEd) has earned the highest trust rating among government agencies in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to a survey conducted by OCTA Research.
The survey, dubbed as the “Fourth Quarter Tugon ng Masa Survey,” was released on Thursday, February 22, 2024. It showed that 84 percent of the respondents trusted DepEd, followed by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) with 83 percent, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) with 82 percent.
The Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) also received high trust ratings of 80 percent and 75 percent, respectively.
On the other hand, the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the CHED received the highest distrust ratings of 19 percent, 16 percent, and 13 percent, respectively.
The survey also measured the performance ratings of the government agencies, based on the respondents’ satisfaction with their services and programs.
The DSWD topped the performance rating with 86 percent, followed by the CHED with 82 percent, and the DepEd with 81 percent. The DPWH and the DOH also garnered high satisfaction ratings of 78 percent and 76 percent, respectively.
The survey was conducted from December 10 to 14, 2023, through face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adult respondents nationwide. It has a ±3 percent margin of error at a 95 percent confidence level, with subnational estimates for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao at a ±6 percent margin of error.
The survey results reflect the public’s perception of the government agencies’ performance amid the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and the natural disasters that hit the country in 2023.
The DepEd, in particular, has implemented various initiatives to ensure the continuity of education despite the limitations of distance learning. Some of these include the provision of learning modules, gadgets, and internet connectivity to learners and teachers; the launch of the Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program to help students improve their reading skills; and the expansion of the Food Stamp Program to address hunger and malnutrition among learners.
The CHED, meanwhile, has supported the higher education sector by providing scholarships, grants, and subsidies to students and faculty members; facilitating the transition to flexible learning modes; and promoting research and innovation to address the country’s development needs.
The DSWD, on the other hand, has delivered various social protection programs to the poor and vulnerable sectors, such as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, the Social Pension Program, the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations, and the Project Pag-Abot, which aims to provide psychosocial support to disaster-affected communities.
The DOH and the DPWH have also played vital roles in the country’s response to the health crisis and the recovery efforts. The DOH has led the implementation of the Prevent, Detect, Isolate, Treat, and Recover (PDITR) strategy, as well as the vaccination program against Covid-19. The DPWH, meanwhile, has constructed and maintained quarantine facilities, isolation centers, and modular hospitals across the country.
The OCTA Research is an independent and interdisciplinary research group composed of professors and scholars from the University of the Philippines, the University of Santo Tomas, the Ateneo de Manila University, and the Providence College in the United States. It conducts regular surveys on various social and political issues, as well as data analysis on the Covid-19 situation in the country.