No chance to win’ MAR ROXAS DOOMED IN EARLY INC SURVEY

By Manny Piñol

The ruling Liberal Party’s efforts to boost the political stock of Presidential bet Manuel Roxas III suffered a crippling blow yesterday when the influential Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) said 93% of its members polled believe the administration candidate has no chance of winning in 2016.

In an unusual survey conducted by the religious group through its TV station Net 25 on Aug. 12, INC members who responded to the question on Roxas’ chances to win the Presidency in 2016, virtually closed the door on the former Interior Secretary’s hope to be the next President of the Philippines.

The survey results were released yesterday and were reported by mainstream media, including the Philippine Star newspaper and the People’s Journal.

It was considered unusual and strange by political observers because the INC in the past kept its survey results confidential.

The religious group traditionally made public their preferences in political contests about three days before the elections.

The survey came two weeks after President Benigno S. Aquino III publicly announced his support for the Presidential bid of Roxas, grandson of former President Manuel A. Roxas and the only surviving son of the late Senator Gerry Roxas.

The Net 25 poll which used the strange question “Sa tingin mo ba may tsansang manalo sa pagka-pangulo si Secretary Mar Roxas sa 2016 elections?” (In your opinion, do you think Secretary Mar Roxas stands a chance to win in the 2016 elections?) also came in the heels of a controversy which rocked the indigenous church where members of the Manalo Family which led the INC for 101 years now, have accused the church leadership of corruption.

A witness in a possible case of abduction of an INC minister has reportedly been taken in by the Department of Justice (DOJ) under its Witness Protection Program (WPP).

Political observers believe that the INC Net 25 survey could be the influential religious group’s way of showing displeasure at the involvement of the administration through the DOJ in an issue it considers “internal.”

Net 25 reported that 93.1 percent of the respondents said “wala” or no chances of winning the Presidential elections next year.

The support of the INC, with over 2 million members, vote as a block during local and national elections.

Politicians queue up in local INC churches all over the country weeks before the elections to submit their letters of intent to run for political positions.

The politicians are then “screened” by the local INC ministers and the names of those favoured are submitted to the INC Central where these are included in the list of candidates to be supported by the church.

The list is usually released three days before the elections and the INC endorsement is considered a swing vote in tight political contests.

The INC Net 25 survey virtually dashes the administration’s hope of boosting the political stock of President Aquino’s chosen successor.

This leaves the INC choices to Vice President Jejomar Binay, who is facing serious charges of corruption, neophyte Senator Grace Poe and reluctant Presidential prospect Davao City Mayor Rody Duterte.