SEN. Rodante Marcoleta yesterday asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to study the possibility of banning surveys three months before the conduct of any election to give the public free rein on who to vote for.
Marcoleta said voters’ choices should not be based on the preferred candidates of survey respondents.
During the briefing on the proposed Comelec budget for 2026, Marcoleta said poll surveys condition the minds of the people on who should be the poll winners.
He also said poll surveys are used as a tool of leading survey candidates to supposedly raise more campaign funds, leaving candidates outside of the winning circle with less campaign funds since they are considered as “non-winners.”
During the midterm elections, Marcoleta said he consistently ranked 22 in pre-election surveys but ended up in sixth place in the actual elections.
He said the same was in the case of Sen. Erwin Tulfo, who consistently topped pre-election surveys but landed fourth in the elections.
“It has become a mindset tool… I don’t know why they need to have the perception of the people before the elections. Maybe three months before the elections, they should be prohibited from conducting surveys because they are setting the minds of the people,” Marcoleta said in Filipino.
Comelec chairman George Garcia said they will study Marcoleta’s proposal.
He said it would be better, though, if Congress crafts a measure banning poll surveys three months before the elections, pointing out that the Comelec could be accused of “usurpation of legislative prerogative” if it comes up with a regulation on the matter.
The Comelec has a proposed budget of P11.8 billion for 2026, which Garcia said was P6.27 billion lower than their spending request of P18.07 billion.
“Our proposed budget [of P18.07 billion] was decreased by more or less P6 billion. So, the budget left for the 2025 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) (which was supposed to be) on December 1 will be around P11.5 million… that will leave us with only around P9 billion, and that is not enough, Mr. Chair),” Garcia said in Filipino.
He asked the Senate to add P9B more to the poll body’s budget, which he said would be used for the payment for teachers and support staff for the BSKE that will be held on November 2026.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, panel chairman, said the committee will “request more details” on the poll body’s additional budget request when the Comelec’s budget proposal is tackled in plenary.
