Gibo, Noynoy ‘tie’ in last UST poll

COUSINS Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro and Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III are “statistically tied” as Thomasians’ top choices to become the country’s next president, according to the third and last University-wide pre-election survey conducted by the Research Cluster for Cultural, Educational, and Social Issues.

The top choices for vice president and senators remained unchanged in the final Political Opinions of the Youth Survey conducted simultaneously with the student council elections from February 16 to 19.

Liberal Party standard bearer Aquino was still the top choice for president with 33.2 percent, but administration bet Teodoro came second with 32.5 percent. With a margin of error of less than one percent, the two candidates can be considered “statistically tied.”

“A poll is said to show a statistical tie when two candidates’ numbers fall within the sampling margin of error,” research cluster director Alvin Ang said.

Senator Aquino, who had consistently topped national surveys, took the lead in the second UST survey last January. The first survey conducted last August before candidates filed their certificates of candidacy, was topped by Sen. Francis Escudero, who later dropped out of the race due to lack of funds.

Political science professor Edmund Tayao of the Faculty of Arts and Letters noted that the results of the UST survey differed from that of other universities where Teodoro was the “popular choice of the youth.”

Dennis Coronacion, also a political science professor, said the poll results showed that the youth favored candidates that are “intelligent,” “idealistic,” and have a “clean reputation” in their political careers.

“It can be seen also in the last [presidential] elections. The favorite then was the late senator Raul Roco. The three (Teodoro, Escudero, and Roco) all have the same qualities the youth are looking for in a candidate,” Coronacion said.

Following representative Teodoro at the third place was Bagumbayan Party bet Sen. Richard Gordon, who had the biggest leap in the survey — getting 15.4 percent in the last poll, from 7.7 percent previously. He overtook Nacionalista Party’s Sen. Manuel Villar, who landed fourth with 7.2 percent.

Coronacion said the controversy over the C-5 road project, which allegedly benefitted Villar’s property firms, may have affected the senator’s image among students.

Religious leader Eddie Villanueva ranked sixth with 1.5 percent, while former president Joseph Estrada had one percent at seventh place. A total of 1.1 percent of the respondents had no response, while 6.9 percent chose “none of the above.”

Environmentalist Nicanor Perlas butted in at ninth place with 0.7 percent. He was not included in the second survey, following his initial disqualification from the race by the Commission on Elections (Comelec). Olongapo City councilor John Carlos de los Reyes dropped to 10th place with 0.2 percent, while Sen. Ma. Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal was at the bottom with 0.1 percent.

In the vice presidential race, Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas, Aquino’s running mate, was still the favorite with 46.5 percent.

Former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairman Bayani Fernando and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay retained their positions at the third and fourth places with 21.9 percent and 15 percent, respectively.

Villar’s running mate Sen. Loren Legarda plunged to fifth place with 6.4 percent, while former Optical Media Board chairman Eduardo “Edu” Manzano was at sixth with 1.2 percent.

Perfecto Yasay, broadcaster Jose “Jay” Sonza, and Dominador Chipeco completed the list with 0.5 percent (seventh place), 0.3 percent (eighth place), and 0.2 percent (ninth place), respectively.

In the senatorial race, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago bested her rivals with 7.4 percent to top the survey. Defensor-Santiago was the top choice for senator of Thomasians in all three surveys.

Other senatorial candidates who made it to the top 12 were Franklin Drilon (6.6 percent), Pia Cayetano and Ralph Recto (6.1 percent), Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile (six percent), Sergio Osmena III (5.5 percent), Ilocos Norte Gov. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. (4.1 percent), Bukidnon Rep. Teofisto Guingona III and Gilbert Remulla (four percent), Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr. (3.8 percent), whistleblower Jose “Joey” de Venecia III (3.4 percent), and Vicente “Tito” Sotto III (3.2 percent).

Sonia Roco (three percent), and Muntinlupa Rep. Rufino “Ruffy” Biazon (2.5 percent) dropped out from the top 12.

The number of respondents was larger — 13,599 students from all year levels — as the survey coincided with electronic voting for the student council elections. Only 2,147 students joined the January survey. All surveys were conducted through the e-Learning Access Program system.

Coronacion said large student participation in the survey did not necessarily translate to big youth involvement in the elections.

“Kasi hanggang survey lang sila (students) e, pagdating sa election wala na,” he said.

In the January youth survey, roughly 60 percent of the respondents said they are registered voters, an increase from only 30.4 percent in the first youth survey last August, following Comelec’s extension of voter’s registration up to December 29.