Campaigns & Image survey was accurate!

The FREEMAN editor-in-chief Jerry Tundag, our top reporters and columnists had a no-holds-barred afternoon with Vice-Mayor Michael Rama who gamely answered all the questions thrown at him. But the big ticket question was whether or not under his administration, the rift between the City of Cebu and the Capitol would continue? That question was thrown at him simply because the quarrel between Governor Gwen F. Garcia and Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña has already annoyed many Cebuanos who believe our officials of the City of Cebu and the Province should be working together.

A case in point I mentioned was the stopping of the Ciudad project by Mayor Osmeña. If that project was allowed to proceed, it would have allowed new roads to open up along the Banilad Road, thus decongesting the already very clogged Salinas Road, not to mention that a project of that magnitude could have given jobs to many Cebuanos.

While that issue may be water under the bridge, it is hoped that under a Mayor Mike Rama, these past problems can be avoided. Of course Mike didn’t want to answer a direct question with a yes or no. He merely pointed out that he could cooperate with the Governor if it is good for Cebu.

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I usually don’t watch the late night programs at NBN channel 4, but since I wasn’t sleepy yet I switched channels and turned on to the talkshow of Tita Carmen Ignacio entitled “Pag Usapan Natin” with Atty. Rolando Sibal and Atty. Rogelio Evasco. I’m not sure whether they were co-anchors or her guests. But their topic was quite interesting because they were discussing surveys, done by the Social Weather Station (SWS) and Pulse Asia. That left little doubt that the surveys from the Campaigns & Image Group that we’ve been writing about have struck the national consciousness.

In what I would call a news report that was concocted by the Liberal Party (LP) let me quote, “Liberal Party stalwarts today hit back at their political opponents for resorting to dirty tactics and even using a church-based election watchdog to promote their interest. In a press conference today at the new LP national headquarters, campaign manager Sen. Francis Pangilinan reacted to news reports quoting Lakas-Kampi-CMD’s Mike Toledo who allegedly announced that Nacionalista Party standard bearer Sen. Manny Villar has topped a presidential survey commissioned by the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV). PPCRV has already denied that it commissioned such survey.”

This corner was the first that brought out the Campaigns & Images Group (CIG) survey and never did we ever mention that this survey was commissioned by the PPCRV. CIG merely used some volunteers belonging to the PPCRV, but never was PPCRV commissioned to do the survey. Just the same, Manila has been hit by a magnitude 8 in the Richter scale earthquake with the CIG Surveys. They have always relied on the SWS and Pulse Asia Surveys, until CIG came into the picture and since it was not to their liking, they tag it as a bogus survey!

Anyway back to the NBN 4 Talkshow, I was amused that Tita Carmen Ignacio referred to SWS as “Sinogaling Weather Station” while she called Pulse Asia as “False Asia”. I have heard this language spoken by our blocktime political commentators, but never on tv.

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Here’s a letter query that was emailed to me. It is self-explanatory.

“Dear Mr. Avila, My niece is a college student at the University of the Philippines Cebu College. I heard her say while we were having some sort of a discussion on the different senatorial candidates that in UP campus, a certain professor (Prof. Phoebe Zoe Sanchez) is actually  campaigning for Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza. I asked her who else were being mentioned by her professor and my niece told me that Prof. Sanchez did not give the same importance to the other senators by encouraging the students to vote for them. I asked my niece if this was allowed in their school and she told me that it was just Prof. Sanchez who was doing this so far.   

  I have come across news that both Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza are supporting the NPA. I presume they too are receiving full support from the said group in exchange for votes. I know UP is a government-run institution and I also know that those who are connected with the government, in one way or another is not supposed to campaign for or endorse any candidate for the election as this would be pure and simple “electioneering”. So I would just like to clarify, if I am right in my supposition that indeed said UP professor is electioneering by endorsing Ocampo and Maza within the UP Cebu College compound.   Respectfully yours, Mrs. Irene Berdin. P.S. You may check for yourself by asking college students of said university.