Gadon post on surveys false; Uson’s needs context

Senate hopeful Larry Gadon and partylist nominee Mocha Uson in separate Facebook posts made claims about election surveys: One is false; the other needs context.

Gadon said the law prohibits the publication of surveys:

It was also established that under the Fair Elections Act, it is prohibited for the surveys to be published in media, to which SWS (Social Weather Stations) used the idiotic lame excuse that SWS did not publish it and it was the clients who released the surveys to the media.

The Fair Elections Act or Republic Act 9006 allows the publication of surveys. Its provision prohibiting the publication of surveys affecting national candidates 15 days before elections and seven days for local candidates was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 2001.

The high court said the provision imposes prior restraint on and is a direct suppression of free of expression.

In keeping with the Fair Elections Act, the Commission on Elections issued on Jan. 30 Resolution 10488 permitting the publication of election surveys in Monday’s elections along with the following information:

• Name of the person, candidate, party or organization that commissioned, paid for or subscribed to the survey

• Name of the person, polling firm or survey organization who conducted the survey

• Period during which the survey was conducted, the methodology used, including the number of individual respondents and the areas from which they were selected, and the specific questions asked

• Margin of error of the survey, and the margin of error of each question with a margin of error greater than that of the survey

• Mailing address and telephone number where the survey sponsor can be contacted

Former communications assistant secretary Uson, now AA-Kasosyo Party nominee, posted in her Facebook page a screenshot of a poll supposedly ranking the least-liked senatorial candidates.

Her post bore the caption:

CONGRATULATIONS sa Otso Diretso!!! Pasok kayo sa top 12 sa PINAKA-AYAW NG TAO (Congratulations to Otso Diretso! You are in the top 12 most disliked candidates).

The poll is informal and not scientific.

It asked respondents through a Facebook poll which candidates they disliked the most. Only members of the group where the poll was posted could vote, their options limited to only 30 of the 62 senatorial candidates approved by the Commission on Elections.

Gadon’s post got over 6,000 reactions, 1,000 comments and 2,000 shares; Uson’s over 18,000 reactions, 2,500 comments and 4,000 shares,

References

Commission on Elections. (2001, February 12). Republic Act No. 9006. Retrieved from http://www.comelec.gov.ph/?r=References/RelatedLaws/ElectionLaws/OtherElectionLaws/RA9006

Commission on Elections Resolution No. 10488. (2019, January 30). Retrieved from http://comelec.gov.ph/php-tpls-attachments/2019NLE/Resolutions/com_res_10488.pdf

Commission on Elections. (2019, February 1). Certified List of Candidates (National). [PDF]. Retrieved from http://comelec.gov.ph/php-tpls-attachments/2019NLE/ListsOfCandidates/CertifiedListofCandidates/NATIONAL/SENATORS.pdf

Facebook Help Center. (n.d.). How do I create a poll on Facebook? Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/help/1575289455869004

Larry Gadon. (2019, April 3). In Facebook. [Official page]. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/attygadon/posts/599462970538750

Mocha Uson Blog Group. (2019, March 29). In Facebook. [Group page]. Retrieved from https://web.facebook.com/groups/mochausonblog/permalink/2389362541121973/

Mocha Uson Blog. (2019, April 1). In Facebook. [Official page]. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/Mochablogger/photos/a.336559381521/10157357035156522/?type=3&theater

Social Weather Stations vs. Commission on Elections. (2001, May 5). Supreme Court. Retrieved from http://elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/dtSearch/dtisapi6.dll?cmd=getdoc&DocId=43272&Index=%2aaa1de0751c9cff7439815a4b27e3ab58&HitCount=8&hits=1+2+3+4+d+e+f+10+&SearchForm=C%3a%5celibrev%5celibsearch%5cdtform

What to look for in election surveys. (2019, January 24). Vera Files. Retrieved from http://verafiles.org/articles/vera-files-fact-sheet-what-look-election-surveys

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