September 20, 2011: Over half the people in Philippines in a recent survey rank the
Church among the most trusted institutions in the country, thereby highlighting the
importance of its role in society, several bishops told Church-run Radio Veritas on
Monday. “It shows the Church is important to people, especially in the lives of
the poor,” said Bishop Arturo Bastes of . “We are very happy with these survey results,”
he added. Public relations firm EON Inc released the results of a survey for its
Philippine Trust Index on September 15 to measure the level of public trust in private,
government and non-governmental organizations. Results showed that 51 percent of
respondents had “great trust” in the Church, EON revealed. The media was the next
most-trusted institution, with 22 percent, while the government garnered the lowest
trust rating at seven percent. Archbishop Antonio Ledesma of said he believes
people trust the Church because they recognize its attempts to uphold morals and faith. The
“vigilance” of Church-based groups in efforts to fight corruption and establish “good
governance” has been noted, he told the radio station. “… helping all regardless of
position and social status… that is the role of the Church,” said Bishop Ruperto Santos
of on the same radio program.