Feeling dizzy over surveys

By Herbert Vego

THE lead of a newspaper story yesterday said, “An OCTA Research survey conducted from April 20 to 24, 2026 found that 74 percent of adult Filipinos support proceeding with the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, up from 69 percent in March.”

I would like to believe it because that legal process would uphold the rule of law. But since as reported it had only 1,200 respondents, why attribute it to “74 percent of adult Filipinos”?

Doesn’t even common sense tell us that a sampling with only 1,200 face-to-face interviewees could not represent 60 million Filipino voters?

Anyway, what’s obvious is that we detest the non-appearance of VP Sara Duterte during the impeachment proceedings at the House of Representatives.

In contrast there are survey firms that boost her image as the leading presidential candidate in 2028, as more popular than Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo. Take for example the Pulse Asia survey which said that 51 percent of Filipino voters would go for VP Sara Duterte, 41 percent for Leni Robredo, while eight percent had yet to decide.

Even with only 1,500 respondents, it casts an image of VP Sara as the most likely successor to outgoing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. It gives no data on who the “nationwide” respondents are.

But why compare her to Robredo, who has already announced she would not seek the presidency but would run for her second term as Naga City?

Paid pollsters are not charity organizations. They are registered corporations that make money from their unrevealed clients. Their surveys serve as ads that influence public opinion.

Another survey, this time by the Social Weather Stations (SWS), showed that only 40 percent of Filipinos are satisfied with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s performance, lower than the 54 percent garnered by Vice President Sara Z. Duterte.

It is another way of saying that the VP is a “better performer” than Marcos without telling why. In reaction, Malacañang Press Officer Claire Castro pooh-poohed the survey as disinformation, since “Marcos is busy working while Duterte is on vacation.”

In contrast, the “Boses ng Bayan” survey by the RP-Mission and Development Foundation (RPMD), with 5,000 respondents, showed Marcos’ approval rating surging to 58%, while Vice President Sara’s falling to 51%.

The conflicting survey results are indicators of their unworthiness as “snapshots” of public pulse.

Contrary to what the surveys show, we see no groundswell of support for Inday Sara. The various Maisug rallies calling for the “resignation” of President Marcos so she could take over have  failed to captivate the audience.

-oOo-

COFFEE TIME WITH MORE POWER

MORE Electric and Power Corporation (MORE Power) launched its coffee-table book “Grounded on the Past, Geared for the Future” at the Courtyard yesterday.

The book chronicles the first five years of its infancy as the new distribution utility in Iloilo City under an experienced energy expert, President/CEO Roel Z. Castro.

The phenomenal rise of MORE Power’s customers from 62,000 to more than 110,000 in Iloilo today reveals the reason why it has started expanding to other towns of Iloilo province.

The company has implemented transition programs and innovations including rate reduction, systems loss reduction and eradication of illegal connections.

To quote Sir Roel, “We are committed to bring delight to our power consumers, enrich the lives of our stakeholders, and foster a nurturing and learning culture among members and families of the company.”

Needless to say, another reason why MORE Power is so stable is because its chairman is Enrique “Ricky” Razon Jr., one of the wealthiest persons in the Philippines and one of the world’s top billionaires, with a net worth of roughly $16.5 billion.