Half of Pinoys still unaware of party-list system

Nearly half of Filipinos still have not heard or read anything about the party-list system, the latest Pulse Asia survey showed yesterday.

On the other hand, one out of two Filipinos says he is aware Bayan Muna prevailed as the top choice among party-list groups vying for representation in Congress with an overall voter preference of 13.7 percent. This would translate to the maximum three congressional seats if elections were held today, the survey conducted from April 3 to 5 said.

While 53 percent of registered Filipinos voters are aware of the party-list system, 47 percent still say they are unaware.

But Pulse Asia added that "35.7 percent of Filipino registered voters – whether or not they are aware of the party-list system – do not express electoral support for any of the party-list groups fielding candidates for the May 2007 elections."

The non-commissioned survey using face-to-face interviews with 1,800 registered voters said awareness about the party-list system was highest in the "best-off" Class ABC (68 percent) while "sizeable majorities" of those in the Visayas (60 percent) and in Metro Manila (62 percent) also report awareness of the party-list mechanism.

On the other hand, 47 percent of Filipinos still do not know of the party-list system, which was first implemented in 1998, Pulse Asia said.

Lack of awareness is most pronounced in the rest of Luzon (51 percent), in Mindanao (52 percent), and in the poorest Class E (54 percent), it said.

Pulse Asia said 10 of the 93 party-list groups have statistical chance of winning at least one congressional seat if the elections were held today.

"Ten of the 93 party-list groups vying for congressional seats would have a statistical chance of sending at least one of their nominees (out of a maximum of three) to the House of Representatives," the survey firm said.

Other party-list groups that garnered enough votes to win three seats are Gabriela Women’s Party (6.0 percent) and Anakpawis (9.4 percent).

On the other hand, Akbayan! Citizens’ Action Party (5.3 percent) and Angat Ating Kabuhayan Pilipinas Inc. (4.2 percent) would succeed in sending two of their nominees to the House while five groups – Buhay Hayaang Yumabong (3.4 percent), Advocacy for Teacher Empowerment Through Action, Cooperation, and Harmony Towards Educational Reforms Inc. (2.7 percent), Filipinos for Peace, Justice, and Progress Movement (2.7 percent), Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption (2.4 percent), and Ahon Pinoy (2.0 percent) – would win one seat each.

The Pulse Asia survey has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points.