ILOILO City's lone district Representative Julienne Baronda, Negros Occidental Third District Representative Kiko Benitez, and Iloilo Third District Representative Lorenz Defensor emerged as the top performers in the "Boses ng Bayan" survey conducted by the RP-Mission and Development Foundation Inc. (RPMD) in Western Visayas.
The survey, a yearly assessment of House of Representatives members' effectiveness, placed these three Western Visayas representatives at the top with scores of 92.9 percent, 92.6 percent, and 92.5 percent, respectively.
The "Boses ng Bayan" survey, conducted in January 2024, evaluated representatives based on three key areas: district representation, legislative accomplishments, and quality of constituent service.
Baronda, Benitez, and Defensor excelled in all three categories, demonstrating their commitment to serving their constituents.
"My deep gratitude for the love you have given me, my beloved Ilonggo people," Baroda told SunStar.
Baronda expressed gratitude for the support and appreciation received from the public.
She acknowledged the importance of fostering a positive relationship with the community and vowed to continue serving them.
"Thank you for returning the love of the government that I try to bring to you and make your experience through our programs and projects. Let us just keep on sharing God's #LOVE. Thank you so much and a blessed Holy Week," Baronda said.
Other Western Visayas lawmakers also garnered high marks.
Representatives Antonio Legarda Jr. of the Lone District of Antique and Juliet Marie Ferrer of the Fourth District of Negros Occidental both secured second place in the ratings with 89.3 percent and 88.7 percent, respectively.
Representatives Mercedes Alvarez from the Sixth District of Negros Occidental and Ma. Lucille Nava from the Lone District of Guimaras secured the third position, with scores of 88.4 percent and 88.1 percent respectively.
Representative Janette Garin of the First District of Iloilo ranked fourth with an 86.8 percent rating.
Representatives Teodorico Haresco Jr. of Aklan's Second District and Michael Gorriceta of Iloilo's Second District both secured fifth place in a ranking, each earning scores above 87 percent.
Dr. Paul Martinez, head of RPMD, highlighted the significance of the "Boses ng Bayan" survey.
He said scores exceeding 50 percent signify satisfactory performance, with higher scores indicating increased constituent approval of a representative's efforts.
In late December 2023 and early January 2024, a survey was conducted with over 10,000 participants across the Philippines.
The sampling method was designed to mirror the demographics of registered Filipino voters, resulting in a margin of error of +/-1 percent and a confidence level of 95 percent. (Leo Solinap)