Duterte tops survey? SWS questionnaire questioned

MANILA, Philippines - Apart from being a privately commissioned survey, it also has a presumptuous questionnaire.

Malacañang aired these observations yesterday regarding the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showing Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte as the Filipinos’ top presidential bet for 2016.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda, a close friend and ally of Liberal Party standard bearer Manuel Roxas II who ranked fourth in the survey, noted that the questions seemed to have been twisted to make the respondents believe that Duterte is a candidate for president.

“In this privately commissioned survey, the question itself already mentioned Duterte as a substitute candidate for president,” Lacierda said.

He said the usual survey of SWS would be an agnostic question and that there would be no mention of names.

“If you notice, the normal question of the SWS in their regular survey, not a commissioned survey, is: Sa mga sumusunod na pangalan sa listahan, sino po ang malamang ninyong iboboto bilang Presidente ng Pilipinas (Among the following names, who would you most likely vote for president)? It’s not agnostic,” Lacierda said.  

Businessman, biker

The SWS Nov. 26-28 nationwide poll, commissioned by businessman William Lima, said to be a political supporter of Duterte, showed the Davao mayor now leading the presidential race with 38 percent.

Sen. Grace Poe and Vice President Jejomar Binay were tied at second place with 21 percent each.

Roxas placed fourth with 15 percent, followed by Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago with 4 percent.

The SWS confirmed yesterday conducting the survey sponsored by Lima, who listed his residence at The Parkside Villas in Sales Road, Newport, Pasay City.

Lima reportedly used to operate a supermarket in Davao. He is said to head the On Any Sunday Riders Club, a group that travels around the country on big, expensive motorcycles. Lima reportedly also has a collection of rare vintage cars.

Duterte also likes driving big bikes.

Rigged results

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV expressed doubts on the results of the SWS survey, saying it was rigged to favor Duterte and his running mate, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, in a bid to create an impression that they are the team to beat in the 2016 elections.

Trillanes outlined the reasons why the survey is “invalid.”

“One, it was conducted before the infamous speech of Mayor Duterte and I believe that that will have an impact,” he said, referring to the speech delivered by Duterte recently that was laced with profanities, with one directed at the visit of Pope Francis to Manila last January.

“Next is the question in the survey was cued to favor Mayor Duterte because his name was mentioned as a substitute candidate. For those who are going to call on quantitative research, that invalidates a question,” Trillanes said.

He said the SWS should not have allowed the survey to be conducted since they are supposed to filter the possible political implications of other surveys. 

Trillanes, who is running as an independent vice presidential candidate, said the SWS “historically has been notoriously allowing itself to be used as a propaganda instrument.” 

Trillanes and his Magdalo group have committed to support the presidential bid of Poe.

“We have witnessed that during the 2004 presidential elections when they kept on putting GMA (Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) as the frontrunner and, ultimately, as the winner of that election despite the fact that she cheated and FPJ (Fernando Poe Jr.) actually won,” he said.

Trillanes urged the public to be discerning with their presidential bet. He said voters should think twice before putting the name of Duterte in the official ballot due to the latter’s background as a killer.

Most vital survey

Lacierda stressed that the only survey that will matter will be the one on election day.

“That’s the only survey that we will be looking forward to,” Lacierda said.

He said survey numbers go up and down in the run-up to the political exercise.

“We are in a marathon, we are not in a sprint. This is not a 100-meter dash,” Lacierda said, confident that Roxas will eventually beat his political rivals.

Binay unperturbed

 Binay’s camp shares the opinion of the Palace that the results of the elections are far more important than surveys.

Joey Salgado, head of the Office of the Vice President’s media affairs office, said surveys between now and May 2016 capture the people’s mood at the time of the survey.

Salgado said Binay remains unperturbed by the results of the SWS survey, and will continue to go directly to the people to explain his programs to address poverty, hunger and unemployment.

 Guide for future strategies

For her part, Poe said that while she is unfazed that Duterte has dislodged her from the top of the presidential race, she takes the results of surveys seriously because these reflect the sentiments of the electorate and serve as guide on what she should do more efficiently to deliver her message to the people.  

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the National Government Employees Association of the Philippines national convention in Pasay City yesterday, Poe admitted that the continuous filing of disqualification cases against her has a significant impact on survey results because it has raised doubts in the minds of the people on whether she would be able to run for president or not.

“I will continue the fight. We respect the law. This should be obeyed, but this also includes a process of appeal and we strongly believe in the legal basis that we are standing on,” she said.

Demand for change

Meanwhile, several political leaders in the south welcomed the latest SWS survey.

“This just validates our efforts and proves that the people of the Philippines need and demand change in government. Mayor Rody Duterte epitomizes the change that people want to see in government,” said Davao City first district Rep. Karlo Nograles. 

Nograles said the survey result only shows that Filipinos are looking for a leader who will shake things up, who will act fast and has the courage to do it. “And that’s Duterte. People are fed up with the same kind of promises from the usual type of politicians every election and end up with the same kind of governance,” Nograles said. 

Former Davao City councilor Peter Lavinia told The STAR that the survey results only showed the clamor of the people for Duterte and a new brand of leadership. – With Helen Flores, Edith Regalado, Marvin Sy, Christina Mendez, Paolo Romero