VICE presidential candidate Senate President Vicente Sotto III yesterday urged voters to pick candidates who have track record and who continue to serve the country even amid difficult times, like the COVID-19 pandemic and during calamities, and not to be swayed by the results of pre-election surveys.
Sotto made the pitch amid his consistent second place ranking in voters’ preference in poll surveys.
“This is a call to the people that instead of listening or believing in surveys, think of those candidates who have done something or may ginagawa kapag in danger tulad ng COVID-19 at hindi ‘yung mga nagtatago. Piliin nila ‘yung hindi sila iniiwan (or those who continue to serve the people even in times of danger like the COVID-19, not those who hide or will desert you. They should choose candidates who will not turn their backs on the people),” Sotto said in a press conference in Cagayan de Oro City where he and his running mate presidential candidate Sen. Panfilo Lacson campaigned on Thursday.
Like Lacson, Sotto said he finds it hard to believe that only 18 percent of voters will vote for him if elections were held during the April 16 to 21 Pulse Asia survey period.
The Pulse Asia survey showed that 55 percent of the respondents picked Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Caprio among the vice-presidential candidates in the May 9 elections.
The same survey showed Lacson at fifth place among the 10 presidential candidates, getting only 2 to 4 percent voters’ preference.
Sotto said the warm reception that they get from the people during their campaign sorties does not reflect the pre-election survey result.
“This election will expose the accuracies of the surveys, We’ll see who Sen. Lacson is in the Visayas and Mindanao regions. We know it’s impossible, there’s something wrong. We have observed this for so long. Isn’t it obvious?. Let’s forget about the surveys and talk to the people,” Sotto said.
Lacson said he is no longer interested in pre-election surveys since he already knows that the results will be same no matter the period when the polls were done.
He said his low ranking in surveys was a “blessing in disguise” since it inspired his volunteers and coordinators to strive even harder in convincing people to vote for him and Sotto.
“Huwag na natin intindihan ang surveys. Let’s just wait, it’s a matter of two or three days ngayon (Forget about the surveys. Let’s just wait for Election Day, it’s just a matter of two or three days from now),” Lacson said.
Sotto said survey firms should conduct the polls themselves and not pass the job to a third party to do the field work so as to make sure that the results will be accurate.
“Bakit hindi field work nila ang ginagamit. Bakit ‘yung non-commissioned surveys iba-iba ang lumalabas, bakit iba ang result? (Why don’t they do their own field work? Why do non-commissioner surveys show different results?)” he added.
Sotto said the Lacson-Sotto tandem will hold its miting de avance on May 6 in Verdant Square, in Carmona, Cavite ahead of other candidates who will hold theirs on Saturday.
He earlier said their tandem would like to hold their miting de avance on Saturday in Plaza Miranda in Quiapo, Manila but was forced to cancel it since Mass in Quiapo Church will last until 8 p.m.
On Saturday, the last day of the campaign period, Sotto said they will spend the day still talking with the people in provinces near Metro Manila, including Rizal and Laguna.
