Catanduanes Forum

Presidential hopefuls Sen. Francis "Chiz" Escudero and Sen. Manny Villar recently showed their political strength as measured by an early September 2009 survey held in eight selected cities and by straw votes among students of the University of the Philippines in Quezon City.

Escudero, a stalwart of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, emerged as the top choice among UP students. He also placed second to Villar in the survey conducted by the Issues and Advocacy Center (which carries a generic name of The Center) run by Lakas-CMD political operator Ed Malay who once served as spokesman for former President Fidel Ramos.

Interestingly, both Villar and Escudero are UP graduates. Escudero is a product of the UP integrated school system and obtained his law degree from the UP College of Law. Villar is a product of the UP College of Business Administration.

But while Villar topped The Center’s survey for presidential wannabees, Escudero also emerged as the most preferred vice presidential candidate.

In the Center’s Special Run survey in eight selected cities (Baguio City, NCR, Cebu City, Iloilo City, Cagayan de Oro City, Davao City, General Santos City and Zamboanga City) involving 400 respondents, Villar emerged on top in a 13-way tussle with 23 percent approval.

Escudero followed with 17 percent; former President Joseph Estrada was close behind with 15 percent, and Vice

President Noli de Castro with 13%.

Newcomer Senator Noynoy Aquino came at fifth with 11%.

The survey was conducted on Sept. 3-6, a few weeks after former President Corazon Aquino died of colon cancer.

Escudero, as the top presidential choice of UP students from 18 different colleges, got 690 straw votes or 21 percent, Villar obtained 365 or 11.6 percent; and Aquino was in third place with 278 or 8.8 percent.

The mock election dubbed "Boto ng Iskolar ng Bayan," was conducted from September 8 to 15, 2009 by the UP Alpha Sigma Fraternity among 3,156 undergraduate students. It excluded those in the post-graduate courses.

The rest of the presidential hopefuls in the Center’s survey got single-digit results.

Sen. Loren Legarda had 9%; Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, 5%; Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, 2%; Sen. Richard Gordon and Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chair Bayani Fernando, 1% each; Chief Justice Reynato Puno and Bro. Eddie Villanueva both with 0.5%; and Senator Jamby Madriagl, nil.

In an eight-way race, according to The Center’s report, Villar also topped the survey with 26%, followed by Escudero with 18%. Estrada got 16%; Aquino, 15%; de Castro, 10%; Legarda, 8%; Gordon, 3% and Teodoro, 2%.

In the vice presidential race, Escudero had 26%, edging Aquino who got 19%.

Also in the survey for vice presidential preference, Legarda garnered 14%; Sen. Mar Roxas, 13%; de Castro 10%; Sen. Ping Lacson, 5%; Senators Miriam Santiago and Jinggoy Estrada, 3% each; Sen. Kiko Pangilinan, 2%; and Sen. Bong Revilla, Fernando, Gordon and Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronnie Puno, 1% each.

The survey also revealed Vilar and Esudero as the most preferred tandem, garnering a rating of 61%.

An Escudero – Legarda tandem got 52%, Villar – de Castro 45%; Aquino – Roxas 33%; Estrada – Escudero 30%; Legarda – Escudero 27%; Estrada – Legarda 24%; Villar – Jinggoy 17%; de Castro – Teodoro 16%; Teodoro – de Castro 14%; Estrada – Binay 9%; Teodoro – Ronnie Puno 4% and Teodoro – Fernando 1%.

Malay said the survey, held on Sept. 3-6, was not commissioned by any individual or group. It had a 6% margin of error.

In the UP Diliman straw votes, other presidential hopefuls had the following votes: Sen. Jamby Madrigal, 258 (8.2%); Roxas, 251, (8%); Legarda, 237 (7.9%); Fernando, 226 (7.2%); Binay, 162 (5.1%); Gordon, 151 (4.8%); De Castro, 107 (3.4%); Pampanga Gov. Ed Panlilio, 53 (1.7%); Teodoro, 51 (1.6%); Estrada, 35 (1.1%); Villanueva, 21 (0.7%); Lacson, 3 (0.09%); and Sen. Antonio Trillanes III, 1 (0.03%).

Both Gordon and Teodor are products of the UP College of Law.

According to Marc Aguimatang, project head of the "Boto ng Iskolar ng Bayan," the mock polls aimed at bringing more awareness for the need to register and vote during the May 10, 2010 election. "We aim to bring more awareness to the youth to register and vote during the election," he said..

Aguimatang pointed out that the results of the polls reflected the true sentiments of the students of UP and hoped that the mock polls would eventually have a bearing on the results of the elections next year.

A total of 267 students, or 8.5% of those who voted, wrote "abstain" in their ballots. The organization employed an open-voting system but ensuring that one enrolled student is entitled to only one ballot. Voting booths were set up in 18 colleges all throughout the university.

Escudero won in all of the colleges, except in the College of Business Administration, where Villar won overwhelmingly.

The mock election is part of a month-long celebration of the UP Alpha Sigma Fraternity’s 47th anniversary. The fraternity has a long history of participation in the progressive movement, counting among its alumni personalities such as Nilo Tayag, Malacanang spokesman Gary Olivar, former presidential chief-of-staff Mike Defensor and Sen. Gregorio Honasan.

By Charlie Manalo and Gerry Baldo