DAVAO City Vice Mayor Sara Duterte and City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte topped a survey released Friday by Ateneo de Davao University (Addu).
The survey "Ateneo Electoral Survey 2010" covered preferences of respondents on the presidential, vice-presidential, senatorial, party-list, and locally the Davao city mayor and vice mayor positions.
The survey for the mayoralty seat suggested only two contending candidates: Sara Duterte and Speaker Prospero Nograles, in which Duterte gathered a total of 84.7 percent or 316 votes as against Nograles, who received 11 percent or 16 votes.
For the vice mayoralty position of the city, choices featured were incumbent Mayor Rodrigo Duterte against former city mayor Benjamin de Guzman, wherein the former received 89.3 percent or 333 votes, while the latter received 5.6 percent or 21 votes.
The survey conducted on April 19 to 23 had 373 respondents representing the 7,200 voting population of Addu composed of teachers from the grade school, high school, and college division; administrators, students, and non-teaching staff composed of both agency workers and regular workers.
"Our survey has a wider scope questions asked compared to that of the Social Weather Station and Pulse Asia. Other than asking 'If the elections will be held today who will you elect' the respondents also answer why they voted for him or her," said head researcher Neil Ryan Pancho of the Political Science Program.
The survey also featured a wider scope of knowledge gathered, wherein the respondents stated the reason for voting their candidates of choice and also answered questions pertaining to their perception on election issues.
Those who voted for the vice mayor gave reasons that she: (1) is credible, sincere, and has integrity; (2) has good qualities, educated, and fit for governance; (3) carries the leadership ability of her father; (4) has the capacity to maintain peace and security in the city; (5) is strong-willed and is a tough woman; and (6) has a track record of governance.
The respondents described the city mayor as someone who (1) has the ability to keep the peace of the city; (2) has political will; (3) possess leadership; (4) has a track record; (5) is credible; and (6) can be a mentor to the vice mayor.
The descriptions received by Nograles and De Guzman was: (1) there is a necessity to change the reign of power in the city, (2) they could bring in more projects; and (3) and has a track record in governance.
Pancho and Mae Fernandez from the Sociology Program said the survey centered "on the respondents' demand for integrity from their candidates."
"From what we have gathered, we could say that the respondents see the current administration under the city mayor and the vice mayor is with integrity as opposed to their contenders. The very image of Nograles does not convince them of having integrity," Pancho said in an interview Friday after he conducted a forum presenting the results to the students at Room D202 of Addu Jacinto campus.
"The respondents are aware of the issues dealt with both camps of Duterte and Nograles, this is reflected by the concern the respondents have over local and national issues," he said.
"They (respondents) know that the city mayor is faced with issues on extrajudicial killings but it seems hindi ito tumatalab. And given the description received by both the city mayor and the vice mayor, the respondents show concern on the peace and order of the city. In weighing the issues and intrigue thrown at the Dutertes, the capacity to maintain the peace and order was given more weight," he added.
In addition, the respondents also answered their perception on the electoral process, influences in the conduct of election, perceived weakness of the elections, characteristics of an electoral candidate, the concerns a candidate must deal with, and other topics.
National bets
Liberal Party tandem Senators Benigno Aquino III and Manuel Roxas II topped the survey on the presidential and vice presidential positions.
Aquino garnered 50.4 percent or 188 votes of the respondents. Following him in the survey is former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro with 32.4 percent or 121 votes, Senator Richard Gordon with 6.4 percent or 24 votes, and Senator Manuel Villar with 3.5 percent or 13 votes.
Still on the presidential results, former President Joseph Estrada got 2.7 percent or 10 votes; religious leader Eddie Villanueva with 1.1 percent or four votes; agriculturalist Nicanor Perlas with 0.5 percent or 2 votes; and Councilor JC de los Reyes with 0.3 percent or one vote. Ten respondents did not vote equivalent to 2.7 percent.
In the vice presidential race, Roxas got 54.2 percent or 202 votes, followed by Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay with 29 percent or 108 votes, Bayani Fernando with 5.6 percent or 21 votes, and Senator Loren Legarda with 3.2 percent or 12 votes.
Vice presidential candidate Perfecto Yasay got 2.4 percent or 9 votes; Jose Sonza got 1.6 percent or six votes; and Eduardo Manzano received 1.1 percent or four votes. Eleven respondents did not vote which is equal to 2.9 percent to a total of 100 percent.
The survey also featured the school's top senatorial candidates.
The senatorial race was topped by Miriam Defensor-Santiago who got 288 votes, Franklin Drilon with 231 votes, Pia Cayetano with 227 votes, Sergio Osmeña with 226, Ralph Recto with 199; Jose De Venecia III with 156, Juan Ponce Enrile with 155; Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel with 151; Bongbong Marcos with 147; Bong Revilla with 127; Teodisto Guingona III with 116 votes; and Jinggoy Estrada with 103 votes.
Rosena Sanchez of the Research and Publication Office of Addu said the findings on the preferred senatorial candidates have "high possibility of reflecting the preference during the actual elections."
"When we held our survey during the 2007 elections, nine out of 12 senatorial candidates that were in our survey ay lumabas sa actual elections. Baka ngayon ganoon din," Sanchez said.
Sanchez also reminded students "to get involve and participate during the elections" by joining Pollwatch Dabaw 2010 which is headed by Fr. Archimedes Lachica who is also of the Society of Jesus.
"You may become a volunteer by registering yourself to your nearest parish or at the central headquarters of the Archdiocesan Social Action Center at San Pedro Cathedral," Sanchez said.
Meanwhile, 69 percent of the survey respondents did not vote for a party-list group.
Those who topped the survey in this category were the A Teacher with 18 votes, Kabataan with 16, Gabriela with 15; Bayan Muna with nine, and Kalinga with seven. (JCZ)