Of course it is

Here's something for your irony meters: Malacanang says "Let People Be Judge of Arroyo."

They seem to forget that what started this whole plunge in GMA's popularity is the allegation that she didn't let the people judge her, preferring instead to rely on Garci's judgment.

Ermita says "running and managing a country is not a “popularity contest.”

Duh. But of course it is. That's the whole point of elections. It's to find out who the majority likes. An election is a stupid way of judging competence (Exhibit A: The Philippine Senate), but it's a great way of gauging who people like.