DUTERTE TOPS FACEBOOK E-POLL; SANTIAGO 2nd, VP BINAY TAIL-ENDER

Results of FACEBOOK EPoll Apps conducted from Nov. 7 to Nov. 15, 2014 by Facebook page http://xn--mannypiol-r6a.com/

Poll Question – Who is your choice for President 2016?

Target audience/location – Filipinos aged 18 to 65+ – Philippines, United States, Canada, Hong Kong, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, China, South Korea, Italy, Germany, Macau and Ireland

Total Number of FACEBOOK users reached – 439,424 users

Total Number of votes registered – 5,085 votes

Ranking:

1. Rody Duterte – 66% / 3,351 votes

2. Miriam Defensor Santiago -15% / 752 votes

3. Bongbong Marcos -6% / 302 votes

4. Mar Roxas – 5% / 299 votes

5. Grace Poe – 4% / 201 votes

6. Jojo Binay – 4% / 180 votes

Notes and observations on the on-line survey:

1. The survey is neither perfect nor fool-proof. While the respondents could not vote twice using the same account, it is possible that people with multiple FB accounts could vote more than once. Also, while there is no question on the credibility and objectivity of the FACEBOOK EPoll Apps, it is not free from glitches as shown in the percentile sharing of votes where Mar Roxas, who got lesser votes than Bongbong Marcos, was given 6% while the latter got 5%.

2. Almost 440,000 FACEBOOK accounts accessed the article posted on Nov. 7 and boosted in front of members of the media on Nov. 12 but only 5,085 votes were counted when the survey officially ended at 12 noon of Nov. 15. This could be because of technical difficulties in voting when the respondents use mobile phones. It is worth noting, however, that the post had 174 “shares,” 1,631 “Likes” and 1,386 “comments.”

3. The comments posted verbalized the phenomenal number of votes earned by Mayor Rody Duterte. The posters talked about their disgust for corruption in public service, their fear about the unabated criminality, their dream of opportunities to work near their homes so they could be with their loved ones, and their desire for a leader who could impose discipline and straighten things out for the country.

4. The unexpected thrashing of Vice President Jejomar Binay where he ended up in the tail-end of the straw poll ranking even behind neophyte Senator Grace Poe and DILG Secretary Mar Roxas who he defeated in the 2010 elections for Vice President, puts into question the results of the surveys conducted at the national level, especially the latest survey by a new group, Novo Trends, which said that in spite of the issues of corruption, the Vice President still enjoys public trust.

5. It is expected that some personalities who are adversely affected by these FACEBOOK EPoll results will argue that the numbers shown here do not represent the national sentiment because not everybody has a FACEBOOK account. The damning results for erstwhile survey leaders and the condemnation of the massive corruption and unabated criminality by FACEBOOK users, however, could be interpreted from a different perspective. If FACEBOOK users, who obviously are better off than others who have no access to the Internet, feel so disappointed and disenchanted with the current state of things, how much more for the poorest of the poor who do not even enjoy the simple luxuries of life?

5. The results of this FACEBOOK EPoll, however unscientific and systematically flawed the system is as some sectors claim, confirm earlier on-line surveys conducted by major media entities where 91% of the respondents said they believed that Vice President Binay owned the 350-hectare property in Rosario, Batangas and where over 90% said that he should face the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee investigation.

7. The results of this simple on-line survey should now prompt a national review of the reliability, objectivity and accuracy of the surveys conducted by the so-called public opinion polling groups. The Senate is called upon to conduct an investigation, in aid of legislation, into the integrity of these so-called public opinion polling groups in the light of rumors that for political personalities to be included in the surveys, they must pay a certain amount of survey fee. The investigation must be immediately conducted in view of the coming very important political exercise, the Presidential elections of 2016, where unscrupulous individuals could just come up with made up survey results to condition the minds of the public and create a bandwagon effect on the voters.

8. A legislation which would regulate the conduct by public opinion polling groups of surveys, require transparency in the surveys they conduct including disclosures on the people and interest groups behind the conduct of the surveys, would ensure the integrity of the so-called public opinion surveys and help our national policy makers in crafting programs which would address the concerns of the public as reflected in the surveys.