Comelec eyes regulating poll surveys

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THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday said it is considering strict regulation of election surveys that frequently come out during election season to minimize its impact on voters in choosing who to vote for.

In a press briefing, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the poll body is assessing the possibility of regulating the surveys.

“We are considering if the Comelec should insist on regulating surveys so that they won’t influence the voters in their decision-making,” he said.

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“We, in the Commission, are conducting a review of this as, up to a certain extent, it really creates a tendency and influence our people,” he added.

In particular, he said, the Comelec wants to review the 2001 ruling of the Supreme Court (SC) on the case between the Social Weather Stations Inc. (SWS) and the Comelec.

“We will now undertake the review of the propriety of allowing survey firms to release results if not compliant with the decision of SC,” he said.

He said the poll body sees the need to undertake a review as many voters rely purely on survey results in choosing candidates.

“There are cases where they don’t know who to vote for yet. But, after the release of surveys, the tendency of Filipinos is to go for the sure winners. It takes away the right of choice because of the surveys,” said Garcia.

He, however, stressed that the Commission is not against election surveys.

“Surveys are not prohibited…  And we are not against it,” said Garcia.

SENATE RACE

The Comelec issued the statement as a recent study by digital survey firm, Insightspedia, Inc., showed that the Senate race remains “wide open.”

Citing latest results of its “PinaSurvey” monthly senatorial preference tracking, it showed that the race for Senate seats is “far from a foregone conclusion.”

“Probable rank takes into account the inherent imprecision of surveys, as they are just based on samples of a population. A well-designed and executed survey is accurate but not precise,” said Insightspedia Managing Director Rolland Ramirez in a statement.

“The critical objective is avoiding elimination from the Top 12. This is where probable ranks come in. As it stands now, those with probable ranks of 6 and below have a tenuous hold because their rank range extends beyond the 12th spot,” he added.

In its probable ranking of senatorial aspirants, ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo and former Senate President Tito Sotto are virtually tied at first and second places.

Broadcaster Ben Tulfo and Sen. Bong Go, meanwhile, are tied at third and fourth places, while former senator Ping Lacson is at rank 5-8.

Lumped at fifth to 11th places are Dr Willie Ong, Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, and former senator Manny Pacquiao.

Ranked at 6th to 13th places are Senators Pia Cayetano and Imee Marcos and former senator Bam Aquino.

Tied at 9th to 14th spots are Senator Bong Revilla and TV host Willie Revillame, while placed at 12th to 15th spots is former senator Gringo Honasan.

The survey was held online last December  and involved 1,821 respondents with a +/-2.3 percent margin of error.

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