Growing support from youth, party machinery to boost Gibo

CEBU, Philippines – The growing support of the youth sector along with the political machinery of Lakas-Kampi-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) is expected to further boost the ratings of presidential aspirant Gilbert Teodoro Jr., an independent research firm said.

Teodoro has recently overtaken Sen. Benigno Aquino III who has consistently topped in nationwide surveys.

In a survey conducted by Campaigns & Image Group together with the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), Teodoro’s ratings took off from single-digit levels in December 2009 to 24 percent in March reportedly due to “the political machinery of the administration party and (his efforts of) touching base with local government politicians seeking re-election into various offices.”

The survey also noted that Teodoro’s campaign relies heavily on “a large network of volunteers …..in colleges and universities that by far put him well-entrenched in the psyche of voters across the 18-28 and 29-39 age brackets,” Campaigns & Image said.

Gibo’s ratings, according to the research firm, is expected to further surge when the campaign period for local bets kick off on March 27, the time when the ruling party’s machinery would start to work full blast in his favor.

The survey was conducted nationwide among 5,100 adults of voting age. The survey ended on March 7 with Manny Villar of Nacionalista Party remaining on top with 31 percent, but with Teodoro jumping to second place with 24 percent.

Villar’s rating went up by three percent from his previous 27 percent rating in a survey ending on February 17. Teodoro’s rating, meanwhile, went up by six percent from his previous 18 percent rating in the February survey.

On the other hand, Aquino’s rating of 20 percent in the March survey dropped by eight percent from his previous rating of 28 percent. When Campaigns & Image conducted a survey of voter’s preference for president in December 2009, Aquino’s rating reached 31 percent and remained consistent until the following month.

Also in the March survey, former President Joseph Estrada landed in fourth place with 13 percent, which saw an increase of six percent from his seven percent rating in the previous survey.

Sen. Richard Gordon got five percent while TV evangelist Eddie Villanueva got two percent. Four percent of the respondents remained undecided.

“As the campaign period for local candidates kick off on March 27, the top-of-mind shares for Teodoro is expected to increase by 800 percent. Like (Sen. Manuel) Villar, first-name choice for Teodoro among voters will be higher in subsequent surveys,” Campaigns & Image said.

It likewise noted that Teodoro’s campaign took off on a relatively late start compared to his fellow contenders in the presidential race, which was why his ratings were on single-digit levels in December 2009 and January 2010.

The poll was done three weeks after the start of the official campaign period for national posts in the May 10 elections.

In its analysis of the survey results, Campaigns & Image attributed Aquino’s continued slide “to widespread perception about his lack of management experience and leadership.”

“Because most of the provincial and mayoralty candidates of the Liberal Party are over 65 years old, they had been unable to shore up (Aquino’s) ascendancy among young and middle-aged voters,” Campaigns & Image said.

The survey group also said that Aquino’s “good-versus-evil” type of messaging produced “a strong adverse reaction among voters in the industrial sector that expected him to avoid mudslinging and present a decent, high-level, platform-oriented campaign.”

Respondents of the survey were asked with the question: “Who among the 10 presidential candidates do you think is capable of governing the Philippines and for whom will you be voting for the presidency?”

Survey respondents were also asked the question: “How do you rate your preferred candidate in accordance with the following parameters (—leadership, experience, integrity, transparency, platform and accessibility)?” to gauge the governance capability rating (GCR) of each candidate.

Based on this question, Villar got a GCR of 81 percent, Teodoro with 74 percent, Aquino with 70 percent, and Estrada with 62 percent.

“This survey by the Campaigns & Image Group is by far the most comprehensive, easy-to-follow presentation because, unlike its Pulse Asia, TNS and SWS counterparts, it pinpoints the reasons for any change—increase or decrease—in the governance capability rating (GCR) of candidates,” the group said.— /JMO   (FREEMAN NEWS)