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Tag: 2016 elections

The usefulness of election surveys

Surveys if conducted by professionals and executed with integrity are gauge of the sentiments of the people.

I have to stress “executed with integrity” because during election season, there are surveys and surveys. One has to check on the background of the survey firms, who commissioned the survey as well as the questions asked.

Grace Poe
Grace Poe
As Sen. Grace Poe said, thanking her supporters for their trust that put her as the frontrunner among presidential aspirants, “Surveys help us check if we’re on the right track.”

But she said, “We derive our inspiration from the needs and aspirations of our country, with or without surveys.”

Poe declared her presidential candidacy for the 2016 elections last Sept. 16. The next day, fellow senator who is also known as her mentor, Chiz Escudero, announced that he is Poe’s running mate.

Is there something more in Lim’s ‘China election sabotage expose’?

Comelec Commissioiner Christian Robert Lim
Comelec Commissioiner Christian Robert Lim
I really hope that Election Commissioner Christian Robert Lim’s allegation that China is out to sabotage the 2016 elections is just a burst of irresponsibility that has been in abundance in this administration.

What is more worrisome is if the sinister scenario that Lim raised is a camouflage for an operation just like what the operators of Gloria Arroyo did in the 2004 elections to ensure her “winning” the presidency against Fernando Poe, Jr.

Lim was one of the lawyers of the 2010 Aquino-Roxas team and it is well known that Mar Roxas, the Liberal Party’s presidential candidates in the 2016 elections, pushed for his appointment in the Commission on Elections.

At the budget hearing for the Comelec last week at the House of Representatives, Lim revealed they “have received intelligence reports that there may be an attempt to sabotage the elections by China… I feel personally that the biggest threat to the 2016 elections is China.”

‘Charot’

Edwin Lacierda vs Joey Salgado

This is hilarious.

July 27- President Aquino delivered his 6th and last State- of- the- Nation- Address declaring his “Tuwid na Daan” a huge success . Just like in a TV show, he thanked a number of people including his clothes designer and hairdresser.

Those who were not able to see the President deliver the SONA can still enjoy the sidelights reading the transcript because it’s complete including the audience reactions. What was not included was the President’s coughing.

Endorsing Mar, Aquino insults Grace and his mother

Pres. Aquino's choice to succeed him: Interior Secretary Mar Roxas. Photo by Benhur Arcayan / Malacañang Photo Bureau)
Pres. Aquino’s choice to succeed him: Interior Secretary Mar Roxas. Photo by Benhur Arcayan / Malacañang Photo Bureau)

Is President Aquino that desperate that just to boost the chances of his “Annointed”‘ he had to insult Sen. Grace Poe and his mother, former President Cory Aquino?

In his speech endorsing Interior Secretary Mar Roxas for president in the 2016 elections, Aquino said:

“Sa paghahanap nga po, kinausap natin ang mga taong maaaring magpatuloy sa Daang Matuwid at ang maraming mga sektor. Kinapanayam ko ang tatlong tao, na sa aking pananaw ay kabalikat sa Daang Matuwid. Maganda nga po sana, na ang mga kailangan pang magsanay ay talaga pong magkakaroon ng pagkakataong mahinog at maunawaan ang tunay na lalim ng pagkapinuno. Sa akin pong paniniwala, itong tatlo, kung magkakasama-sama ay talagang matinding tambalan. Doon po, sa ngayon, ay hindi pa tayo nagtatagumpay. Nagkaunawaan po kami; mukha namang iisa ang aming hangarin, pero hindi eksaktong paraan ang nasasaisip para maabot ito.”

LP won’t need Grace if Binay withdraws

Interior Secretary Mar Roxas greets Sen. Grace Poe and Senate Pres. Frank Drilon in one of the hearings of the Mamasapano massacre. From Filipino.cri.cn
Interior Secretary Mar Roxas greets Sen. Grace Poe and Senate Pres. Frank Drilon in one of the hearings of the Mamasapano massacre. From Filipino.cri.cn

We trust Sen. Grace Poe would be astute in dealing with the reported courtship by the Liberal Party for the 2016 elections with no less than President Aquino and Interior Secretary Mar Roxas leading the wooing.

Although the talks were about the 2016 elections, Grace said there was no discussion on whether the Liberal Party is getting her as its standard bearer or running mate of Roxas, who, reports said, has told his party mates that he wants to push through in 2016 his 2010 aborted presidential plans.

This is supported by LP stalwarts Budget Secretary Butch Abad and Transportation Secretary Emilio Joseph “Jun” Abaya saying Roxas will carry the party’s banner in 2016.

Senate President Franklin Drilon even went further. Calling Roxas LP’s “presumptive candidate,” he called on Roxas to declare his intention for the presidency now.

Binay in a freefall

Going down fast.
Going down fast.
Obviously, Vice President Jejomar Binay’s early campaigning was not enough to offset the negative impact of the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee investigation which has exposed his alleged mindboggling corruption operations in Makati City.

His scores in Pulse Asia surveys on presidential preference, performance and trust ratings are in a freefall.

In the survey conducted November 14 to 20 Binay’s rating dropped by 21 percentage points (from 66 percent in September to only 45 percent in November).

His trust rating also took a steep decline – 20 percentage points, from 64 percent in September to 44 percent in November.

The Pichay lesson in political ads

Pichay's ad in 2007 elections
Pichay’s ad in 2007 elections
Some are concerned that with the lifting by the Supreme Court of the airtime limits on political advertisements, we would be bombarded with all those propaganda in the next 30 days.

Less-moneyed candidates are worried that they would be drowned by those with money to burn. Independent senatorial candidate Teddy Casiño said the SC’s ruling favors wealthy candidates or those backed by the ruling elite.

“Ginawang parang unli text, unli call.The problem is its steep cost,” he said. TV ad rates, depending on the time slot, would not go below P250,000 for a 30 second ad. A candidate would need some P30 million for the remaining four weeks of the campaign.

” It is disgusting that the SC has decided against the Comelec’s effort to rein in expensive campaigns which poor or cash-strapped candidates like me cannot afford,” Casiño lamented.