Poe tops Veritas survey, gets 9 of 10 leadership traits

MANILA, Philippines — Presidential candidate Grace Poe topped the latest "Truth Survey" by Radio Veritas, being perceived by most respondents to have nine of 10 qualities of a "servant leader."

At a press conference on Wednesday, sociologist Clifford Sorita, head of the radio station's research department, said 59 percent of the respondents believed that Poe possessed nine character traits of a servant leader.

Poe was found to have listening, conceptualization, empathy, foresight, persuasion, stewardship, commitment to growth, building community, and healing qualities. She failed, however, to be perceived of having the "awareness" trait.

Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago ranked second in half of the given traits and had a 51-percent average.

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Liberal Party standard-bearer Manuel "Mar" Roxas II, meanwhile, are tied at the third spot, both getting a 44-percent average. Vice President Jejomar Binay ranked last in half of the given traits and obtained an overall average of 41 percent.

The survey was conducted with 1,200 respondents and claim to have a +/- 3 percent margin of error. Respondents were asked to rank the five presidential candidates based on the 10 given qualities.

The 10 qualities are based on a theoretical framework first proposed by American philosopher Robert Greenleaf.

"The servant-leader is servant first... Becoming a servant-leader begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first," Greenleaf said in his book "The Servant as Leader" published in 1970. — Camille Diola with Efigenio Toledo IV