http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=552736
MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Manny Villar Jr. is the most trusted presidential candidate in the May 10 elections, according to the latest Pulse Asia survey.
Villar received a 70-percent majority trust rating in Pulse Asia’s January 2010 Pre-Election Survey conducted from Jan. 22 to 26, while Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III was a close second with 64 percent.
Former President Joseph Estrada posted practically the same trust and distrust ratings (33 percent versus 37 percent) while public assessment of the trustworthiness of former Defense secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. - the administration bet - is divided, with 36 percent of Filipinos ambivalent on the matter, 32 percent trusting him, and 31 percent distrusting him.
Sen. Richard Gordon had a 26-percent trust rating against 32 percent who distrusted him.
Other presidential aspirants posted “near to small majority” distrust ratings – Sen. Jamby Madrigal (47 percent), Olongapo City Councilor JC de los Reyes (50 percent), Kilusang Bagong Lipunan bet Vetallano Acosta (51 percent), evangelist Eddie Villanueva (53 percent), and environmentalist Nicanor Perlas (54 percent).
Sen. Manuel Roxas II took the top spot as far as those running for vice-president is concerned, with a 73-percent trust rating.
Sen. Loren Legarda lags behind at 61 percent, the Pulse Asia survey showed.
Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay received a “big plurality” with 44 percent.
On the other hand, “big pluralities to small majorities” distrust the other vice-presidential candidates in the May 2010 elections - former Optical Media Board (OMB) chairman Edu Manzano (45 percent), former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Bayani Fernando (46 percent), Ang Kapatiran bet Dominador Chipeco Jr. (52 percent), broadcaster Jay Sonza (57 percent), and former Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chairperson Perfecto Yasay Jr. (58 percent).
Pulse Asia said not one of the 13 presidential and vice-presidential candidates trust-rated in Pulse Asia’s December 2009 and January 2010 pre-election surveys experienced an improvement in his/her overall trust rating.
Instead, public trust in three candidates became less pronounced during this period - Legarda (-6 percentage points), Manzano (-7 percentage points), and Aquino (-8 percentage points).
Four candidates recorded higher distrust ratings in January 2010 compared to the previous month. They were Legarda, (17 percent versus 11 percent), Binay (26 percent versus 21 percent), Manzano, (45 percent versus 36 percent), and Villanueva (53 percent versus 47 percent).
GMA’s endorsement is kiss of death
The new survey also found that five in 10 Filipinos or 52 percent will certainly not elect a presidential candidate endorsed by President Arroyo.
A similar sentiment is expressed by 40 percent of Filipinos toward a candidate endorsed by former President Fidel Ramos.
Less than one in ten Filipinos (four to five percent), on the other hand, expresses certain electoral support for a presidential candidate endorsed by either Mrs. Arroyo or Ramos.
About the same percentages will either probably vote or probably not vote for a presidential bet endorsed by the former president (21 percent versus 25 percent) while 22 percent of Filipinos may not support a presidential candidate endorsed by Mrs. Arroyo and 12 percent may vote for such a candidate.
The non-commissioned survey used face-to-face interviews of 1,800 representative adults 18 years old and above.
Pulse Asia’s nationwide survey has a plus or minus two percentage points error margin at the 95 percent confidence level.
Winds of change
Villar was elated at the latest survey, but Aquino remained confident that he will be able to sustain his lead in the presidential race, citing the latest TNS survey where he was ahead by 11 points.
“I am grateful to the Filipino people for continuing to put their trust in me and our candidacy. It can be likened to a report card for public servants like us,” he said.
Villar said he will strive harder in making sure that the people’s trust in him will be reciprocated through action, particularly in his vision to steer the country out of poverty.
“The latest Pulse Asia survey strengthens our commitment to uplift the lives of the people and our resolve to wage an issues-based campaign leading to eventual victory in May,” he said.
Aquino, on the other hand, described the latest survey as an “installment” and explained that the survey was done when he had far less advertisements.
“There are 50 million voters. And in the absence of information or knowledge about the person, you rely on the ads,” he said.
Gibo: No effect
In contrast, Teodoro hit his political opponents for adopting survey results as part of their campaign strategy.
He, however, said that he continues to respect the freedom of expression of every survey firm and the rights of every politician, even if this would mean conditioning the minds of the voting public to bank on survey results.
“It is the right of every survey company to make public their survey results and it is also the right of a candidate to use these as part of their campaign strategies,” Teodoro said in a radio
He said he is not affected by the survey results and that he and his partymates continue to believe in the “Galing ng Filipino” of every Filipino to choose the country’s next leader.
He also pointed out that surveys being conducted by survey firms, apparently referring to the Social Weather Stations (SWS) and Pulse Asia, are totally different from the random surveys like phone-in calls, call-ins and exit polling in every forum he had attended.
“On my part I don’t feel the surveys because this is different from the random surveys where I am always number one,” he said, attributing his being new in the national political arena as a major factor in his slow public approval rating.
Palace to the rescue
Meanwhile, Malacañang reiterated its appeal to voters to judge Teodoro based on his own merits and what he has to offer the country and not the company that he keeps.
“Not that Teodoro is surrounded by bad company,” deputy presidential spokesman Gary Olivar was quick to clarify, in response to the perception that his association with President Arroyo is dragging him down in the surveys.
In fact, Olivar noted that this was actually the appeal of Teodoro who has received a lot of flak for being the choice of Mrs. Arroyo and her political party as their standard-bearer.
“The secretary has issued an appeal for him to be evaluated and hopefully supported by our voters, not based on the company he keeps, no matter how elevated that company might be, but based on the usual criteria that we are advancing - platform, performance, character and leadership,” Olivar said.
The Palace spokesman insisted that Teodoro would have performed better in the surveys had voters used capability and platform as their basis for choosing their candidates for the country’s next chief executive.
“If we follow this line of thinking and this spreads to more people, then we expect that Secretary Teodoro’s standing in the surveys would improve,” Olivar said in Filipino. - Evelyn Macairan, Delon Porcalla, Jaime Laude, Christina Mendez, Marvin Sy interview over dzRH yesterday morning.
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