By Hannah Torregoza
Opposition Senator Leila de Lima on Friday called on Filipino voters not to rely on the results of pre-election preference surveys recently released by polling firms as a primary basis in selecting candidates for the May 13 national and local elections.
Senator Leila de Lima
(REUTERS / Romeo Ranoco / MANILA BULLETIN) A known election lawyer, De Lima, said voters should not be influenced by the results of the recent voters’ preference surveys which she believes do not determine the general will of the Filipino people. Voters should instead prove these survey results wrong by choosing candidates who have proven integrity, track-record and solid qualifications of public service than rely on their mere popularity. “Surveys are surveys. They’re not the actual votes. The real survey occurs on election day itself,” De Lima said in her latest statement. “Go out and vote on May 13. Prove the surveys wrong!” she prodded. De Lima noted that only administration-backed candidates are leading in the recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) and Pulse Asia pre-election surveys. However, the lawmaker said she believed that many things can still happen on days leading to the polls and the actual Election Day which can change the voters’ preference. She said the fact that President Rodrigo Duterte continues to verbally attack the members of united opposition’s senatorial slate Otso Diretso means that he considers them as a threat to his reign. “Duterte’s taunting and mocking of the Otso Diretso candidates is a very good sign. That means the opposition slate’s numbers are improving,” she earlier noted. The senator earlier made an appeal to the public to reject Duterte’s candidates and not allow the Senate to be dominated by leaders who will only kowtow to the President. De Lima had warned that the Senate's power to check the President would be decimated if Duterte manages “to stack the Senate with his loyal followers.” “Sa halos tatlong taon ng panunungkulan ng rehimeng Duterte, ano na ba ang nagawa nila, maliban sa araw-araw na patayan, karahasan, kabastusan at pamimigay ng ating teritoryo? (With almost three years in power, what have they done, apart from the killings, violence, and foul statements and giving away our territory?)” she pointed out. “Sa darating na eleksyon, susuportahan ba natin ang mga kandidatong magpapatuloy ng ganitong kalakaran? (In the upcoming elections, are we going to support candidates who will continue such trend?) ” she stressed. #MatalinongBoto2019
Senator Leila de Lima(REUTERS / Romeo Ranoco / MANILA BULLETIN) A known election lawyer, De Lima, said voters should not be influenced by the results of the recent voters’ preference surveys which she believes do not determine the general will of the Filipino people. Voters should instead prove these survey results wrong by choosing candidates who have proven integrity, track-record and solid qualifications of public service than rely on their mere popularity. “Surveys are surveys. They’re not the actual votes. The real survey occurs on election day itself,” De Lima said in her latest statement. “Go out and vote on May 13. Prove the surveys wrong!” she prodded. De Lima noted that only administration-backed candidates are leading in the recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) and Pulse Asia pre-election surveys. However, the lawmaker said she believed that many things can still happen on days leading to the polls and the actual Election Day which can change the voters’ preference. She said the fact that President Rodrigo Duterte continues to verbally attack the members of united opposition’s senatorial slate Otso Diretso means that he considers them as a threat to his reign. “Duterte’s taunting and mocking of the Otso Diretso candidates is a very good sign. That means the opposition slate’s numbers are improving,” she earlier noted. The senator earlier made an appeal to the public to reject Duterte’s candidates and not allow the Senate to be dominated by leaders who will only kowtow to the President. De Lima had warned that the Senate's power to check the President would be decimated if Duterte manages “to stack the Senate with his loyal followers.” “Sa halos tatlong taon ng panunungkulan ng rehimeng Duterte, ano na ba ang nagawa nila, maliban sa araw-araw na patayan, karahasan, kabastusan at pamimigay ng ating teritoryo? (With almost three years in power, what have they done, apart from the killings, violence, and foul statements and giving away our territory?)” she pointed out. “Sa darating na eleksyon, susuportahan ba natin ang mga kandidatong magpapatuloy ng ganitong kalakaran? (In the upcoming elections, are we going to support candidates who will continue such trend?) ” she stressed. #MatalinongBoto2019