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Presidential candidate Sen. Noynoy Aquino III, son of the late Philippine icons of democracy Ninoy and Cory Aquino, tops the latest presidential survey of a public relations firm, but Sen. Manny Villar is just a few points--seven to be exact--behind.
Of the 1,200 respondents in a survey conducted by the Issues and Advocacy Center (The Center), the first survey since all the political hopefuls filed their candidacy, 31 percent said they will vote for Aquino (Liberal Party) and 24 percent for Villar (Nacionalista Party). Aquino's previous ratings in Social Weather Stations (SWS) and Pulse Asia surveys were around 50 percent.
"The Center Director [Edgardo] Malay attributed Aquino's lower ratings to the diminishing impact of the death of his mother who passed away [on] August 1 after a long battle with colon cancer," GMANews.tv reports. Aquino ran due to the prodding of different personalities and groups after his mother died and announced his candidacy on the 40th day of her death.
"We respect the results [of The Center survey]. Noynoy and [his running mate Sen. Mar Roxas] will just have to continue to work hard not to lose the trust of the people," Liberal Party spokesman and Quezon Rep. Lorenzo Tañada said. The Liberal Party is waiting for the results of the December surveys of SWS and Pulse Asia which will set the tone of their campaign next year.
The results have not made Villar complacent. "Mahaba pa yan, marami pang mangyayari. Basta kami ay naka-focus lang sa Mayo at sa aming adhikain. [We still have a long way to go, a lot can still happen. For our part, we're just focused on the May election and our advocacies]," Villar said.
Former Pres. Joseph Estrada came in third with 19 percent, Defense Sec. Gilbert Teodoro got 10 percent and Sen. Richard Gordon shot up from "virtually nil" to 8 percent in the survey.
It's a tight race between the presidentiable frontrunners but it's an even tighter race between their running mates: Aquino's partner, Sen. Mar Roxas has 28 percent, just three points ahead of the 25 percent share of Villar's partner, Sen. Loren Legarda.
The Center describes itself on their website as "a political media campaign consultancy group that is based in the Philippines and which is a springboard of trend-setting ideas in politics and advocacy."
PRESS STATEMENT OF ATTY. EDWIN LACIERDA Spokesperson - Senator Benigno "Noynoy" S. Aquino III "Like most of the Filipino people, we are not familiar with this alleged survey agency and their survey results. The only thing we know about this group is that its Managing Director Art Valenzuela was the only one who predicted in 1998 that Speaker Jose De Venecia would win the Presidency over then Vice President Joseph Estrada. SWS and Pulse Asia, through the years, have consistently shown dependability and consistency. People should be warned that push-polling is an old trapo technique to bring a front runner's numbers down. We are not surprised and we expect them to continue. What we find most interesting, however, is that a Lakas-CMD spokesperson Rep. Milagros Magsaysay is now trumpeting Senator Villar's so-called 'catching up' with Senator Aquino. Is Senator Villar with Lakas-CMD?"
Defensive :) We already know Noynoy's cousin is the founder of Pulse Asia, and we already know Villar caught up to Noynoy in SWS. What's common in all the surveys? Noynoy is going down, down, down.
It's the Catholic Church spreading lies/misinformation about the Reproductive Health bill (how it's pro abortion etc.) that has affected Noynoy's popularity.
NOYNOY FOR pRESIDENT!!!! He is the best....
i HAVE A SURVEY MADE HERE IN OUR PROVINCE LATELY... (1000 respondents)The Result were as follows; NOYNOY---- 1000 VILLAR---- 0 I am sorry with that advocacy center, mayba you manipulated the survey..
He's losing the Cory magic, but is suffering from the Kris curse.
This survey is a FRAUD! The results should be: Jamby= 90% Pamatong=5% Banal na Ama=5% Go JA..JA..JAM.BY!
The Center should rename itself The Center for Ewan. It claims to be a 'think tank' but it hasn't even published a single white paper. In fact, the only articles on their webpage are columns by their director. It's a joke of a 'think tank' and even a joke of a polling firm because it lacks credible statisticians
I used to go for Noynoy. With a clear vision of the whole Philippines as a Singapore of the future, I will go for Dick Gordon. He has a slew of acoomplishments to back him up. Now, Bayani will take care of the discipline portion which we really need for the Philippines to go back to civility.
Wow, someone's actually rooting for Bayani? I guess his/her favorite colors are pink and blue. Do you actually think Bayani can do it? C'mon.. better read up on him first. Or maybe you're really into the colors.
surveys are somewhat true, of course it does not accurately predict the results next year as it has different factors affecting it on a daily basis. But as for the ones I'm supporting, Please vote for Dick Gordon and Bayani Fernando. These guys are well experienced in legislative, management and administration. And the fact that they are not backed up by a major political party, hence no major financial supporter to have an utang na loob with, these guys will be able to focus on the things that should really be done for our country.
Gordon and Bsyani! We need a president with a clear vision (backed up with a good track record) and a VP that is action-oriented. Good combination. I was considering Noynoy before. But after his pathetic performance in the debates...I'm starting to doubt his capability to run this country.
I never even considered Noynoy. That guy is just lucky to be the son of cory. Liberal Party grabbed the opportunity of his mothers death because Cory's suffering and death catapulted his popularity for presidency. Heck, the party was even able to convince Mar Roxas, who was the real credible candidate, to step aside to give way to Noynoy just so that the party can gain control of the government. What a joke, thinking they can fool people...
Well here is another one. I am rooting for Bayani too. Gordon-Bayani, the transformers.
i really dont like noynoy. my god! naririnig nyo ba mga sagot nya sa mga debate? walang alam. pag nanalo sya baka si kris ang maging presidente natin. baby ni kris si noynoy di ba! poor country!
-my family hails from tarlac, and I got home this weekend, and ask them about Noynoy, to my surprised they said they wont vote for this guy, because he is non existent in the province and no achievements to be said of.
yuck jamby!!! ok fine! noynoy's answers weren't as brilliant as gibo's answers. well compare to cory, he's MORE experienced. & i'm sure....he's NOT A TRAPO, unlike villar who doesn't show up at debates. dinadaan na lang niya sa mga ads nya na paulit-ulit na lang!!
@jaja, how sure are you that he is not a trapo? and what is your definition by trapo that makes you separate noynoy from the others. I tell you, he is under one of the major political party that was able to convince MAr to step aside to give way to noynoy because they know that there is an opportunity due to the popularity brought about by his mother's death. When they decided that, did they believe that Noynoy is better than Mar Roxas as a president? I don't think so. Obviously, Mar is the better candidate but since Noynoy is more winnable, they decided it that way. Unlike the Lakas party, even if they know that Gibo has a very slim chance of winning, due to the unpopular administration, they still fronted the most qualified person. But I'm not supporting Gibo, I'm going for Gordon and Fernando. It's the best pairing with a sure will for governance and implementation.
we had also conducted a survey in our province (1000) respondents. The results were NOYNOY - 1000 VILLAR - 0
Just a few years ago, Noynoy Aquino was in sales in Mondragon, selling sportswear and swimwear. I bet he got the job because of his mom Cory and because Tony Gonzales is close to Ms. Aquino(he was her Tourism Sec). Noynoy spent several years in Congress. Can anybody recall anything of significance that he did there?? And now people want him to become president of the country because his main claim to fame is he is the son of two famous people. He can't even give TV speeches without resorting to cue cards. Leadership should be based on merit, and not because someone has famous parents.