Pulse Asia denies survey for Quezon City mayor, vice bets

MANILA, Philippines - Independent polling firm Pulse Asia yesterday denied conducting a survey for Quezon City mayoral and vice mayoral bets which came out in a national newspaper and some tabloids yesterday.

“We have never conducted a survey in Quezon City. We did not conduct a survey in that particular period, not in this election. Definitely, we deny having done that survey being quoted in the newspaper report,” Pulse Asia President Ronald Holmes in a phone interview.

Holmes said Pulse Asia will send letters to concerned publications, demanding them to correct such “erroneous” report.

One of the publications that printed the said survey reported that former presidential management staff chief Michael Defensor is fast catching up with Vice Mayor Herbert “Bistek” Bautista in the mayoralty race in Quezon City. A Pulse Asia survey released on Feb. 15 showed Defensor trailing Bautista by only 6.1 percent after garnering a 36.4 percent preference rating. Bautista got 42.5 percent. Quezon City Rep. Annie Susano came in third with 9.5 percent; followed by Ariel Inton with 5.2 percent.

In the vice mayoralty race, Joy Belmonte topped the survey with 43.5 percent; followed by Quezon City councilor actress Aiko Melendez, 27.8 percent, and Babes Malaya, 21 percent.

Last week, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) also disowned survey results for Quezon City mayoralty and vice mayoral race mentioned in a column in tabloid. The said column claimed that in a survey by SWS Belmonte obtained 39 percent and Melendez 38 percent.