Gomez, Torreses lead in Leyte survey

MANILA, Philippines - Actor Richard Gomez, his wife, Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez, and Matt Torres surfaced as early favorites for their respective positions, in a recent survey conducted by an independent research company. 

In the survey conducted from April 2 to 7 in Ormoc City and Kananga, 700 respondents were asked whom they would choose for mayor, vice mayor and congressman if elections were held today.   

Gomez was the first choice for mayor, getting 65 percent of the Ormoc respondents. Dodong Codilla came in far second with 21 percent, and son Ondo Codilla with 8.4 percent. 

Matt Torres, a new entrant in the local political arena, had 64 percent of the Kananga respondents choosing him for mayor. Eming Codilla was able to get the nod of 32 percent of the respondents, while former Kananga mayor Nonoy Napari got only 3.3 percent. 

Torres-Gomez was the first choice for House representative, with 76 percent of the Ormoc and Kananga respondents combined. Biboy Codilla came in behind at 14 percent. 

In a previous survey for the fourth district of Leyte, Torres-Gomez had a high approval rating of 92 percent. 

The main reason for the choice for mayor of both Ormoc and Kananga was consistently the clamor for change and progress. The respondents cited “para naay pagbag-o, kausaban, kalambuan,” among the reasons for their choice. 

When further asked, the respondents expressed that they found the qualities that they look for in a mayor such as “maayo, buotan, dali duolon, matinabangon” in their top choices.  

Particularly for Gomez, he is seen not only as a leader but also as a doer who can bring about much-needed change in Ormoc.

The research company, DevCon Inc., owned by UP graduates of economics and statistics, conducted the survey in 100 out of 110 barangays in Ormoc, and 100 percent of the barangays in Kananga, with a confidence level of 99 percent and margin of error of +/-5 percent.