Most-Beloved Filipino Political Leader To keep media and the general public current on its latest survey findings, Pulse Asia is issuing this media release on "The Filipinos' Most Loved Political Leader." The findings are from Pulse Asia's January 2010 Pre-election Survey.
Two probes were used in identifying the survey respondents' most loved Filipino political leader. The first inquired into whether any national political leader ever gained their love or affection (Sa mga lider o pulitiko ng ating bansa, maging nuong nakaraang panahon o sa kasalukuyan, mayruon po bang mga napamahal sa inyo? Among the leaders or politicians in our country, whether in the past or present, are there any that gained your love/affection?). Among those replying in the positive, a follow-up probe singled out the most loved of these national political leaders (Sino po ang lider o pulitikong pinakamamahal ninyo buhay pa man ngayon o patay na? Magbigay lamang ng isang sagot. Who is the leader or politician that you love most, whether now dead or still alive? Give only one answer.).
The respondents views on these two concerns are linked in this media release to their voting preferences for selected presidential, vice presidential and senatorial candidates.
Based on a multistage probability sample of 1,800 representative adults 18 years old and above, this nationwide survey has a ± 2% error margin at the 95% confidence level. At the same level of confidence, subnational estimates for the geographic areas covered in the survey have the following error margins: ± 6% for Metro Manila, ±4% for the rest of Luzon and ±5% for each of Visayas and Mindanao. Face-to-face field interviews for this project were conducted from January 22 to 26, 2010. (Those interested in further technical details concerning the surveys’ questionnaires and sampling design may request Pulse Asia in writing for fuller details, including copies of the pre-tested questions actually used.)
Pulse Asia’s pool of academic fellows takes full responsibility for the design and conduct of the survey, as well as for analyses it makes based on the survey data. In keeping with our academic nature, no religious, political, economic, or partisan group influenced any of these processes. Pulse Asia conducted this survey on its own without any party singularly commissioning the research effort.
For any clarification or questions, kindly contact Prof. Ronald D. Holmes, Pulse Asia President at 09189335497 / 9945602 or Dr. Ana Maria Tabunda, Pulse Asia Chief Research Fellow at 09189436816.
A majority of the country's registered voters (52%) professes love for at least one of the nation's numerous political leaders; close to half (48%), on the other hand, are unable to find any national leader or politician worth loving.
Contrary to the conventional wisdom that Metro Manilans are generally more critical and difficult to please in matters political, they (66%) – more than those from other major geographic areas and regions – apparently find it easier to be enamoured with national political leaders. The best-off socioeconomic class ABC (61%) and the best-educated college graduates (66%) – most being Metro Manila residents – also lead their respective demographic groups in acknowledging their love for a national leader or politician. (See Tables 1a and 1b)
In contrast, those respondents who are among the nation's poorest (Class E, 47%), live in the rural areas (48%), have at best an elementary education (44%), the youngest (18 to 24 years old, 41%) and the Cebuanos (39%) are least susceptible to falling in love with the nation's leaders and politicians. On account of their rather small numbers among those actually sampled and thus reflecting statistically weak, indicative proportions at best, Iglesia ni Cristo members, Ilocanos, Ilonggos and Pangasinenses find it easier to love a political leader. More respondents from these groups (from 60% to 71%) admit to having loved or loving a national leader or politician. The Warays are their very foil, with no more than 44% saying they love or had loved such a person; even more revealing is the small proportion of Muslims (35%) able to locate any political leader worth loving. (See Tables 1a and 1b)
As for those spurning love for anyone among the nation's political leaders, majorities exist in the country's rural areas (52%), the Visayas (52%), Mindanao (57%)1 , the poorest class E (53%), the youngest (18 to 24 years old, 59%), those with barely an elementary school diploma (56%) and those with some high school education (53%). (See Tables 1a and 1b)
Gender does not seem to play a role in the survey respondents' ability or inability to find a lovable political leader. For both males and females nationwide, the relevant figures closely approximate each other. (See Tables 1a and 1b)
Among the top five most-loved choices, former President Cory Aquino (35%) leads with a wide margin over former President Ferdinand Marcos (15%), former President Joseph Estrada (13%), former Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. (8%) and former President Ramon Magsaysay (7%). Of the top fifteen figures cited by respondents as their most-loved national leader or politician, a bias is noticeable for those who died in the last three decades or earlier.
Of the top fifteen personalities with at least a rounded one percent (1%) endorsement as the respondents' most beloved national figures, eight are deceased (Cory Aquino, Ferdinand Marcos, Ninoy Aquino, Ramon Magsaysay, Fernando Poe, Jr., Diosdado Macapagal, Raul Roco and Jose Rizal). Four are currently vying for the presidency or the vice-presidency (former President Estrada, 13%, Senator Manny Villar, 5%, Senator Loren Legarda, 1% and Senator Mar Roxas, 1%), two are living presidents (President Gloria Arroyo, 2% and former President Fidel Ramos, 1%) and one is a relatively young senator who aborted a 2010 presidential campaign (Senator Chiz Escudero, 1%). (See Table 2)
Nationwide, no one is acknowledged by a majority of Filipinos as their most beloved political leader
Among those acknowledging love for any political leader (52%), former President Cory Aquino – the probe's highest-rating person -- is identified by an impressive 35% as their most beloved; this translates into 18% of all those surveyed, still far short of a majority. The rest, the great majority of those surveyed (82%), have either other persons or no one in mind for this singular honor. Nevertheless, the Aquino figures are still the most remarkable in this survey, with former President Marcos' own numbers (15% of 52% or 8% of all those surveyed) being less than half that of his sworn nemesis. (See Table 2)
Former President Cory leads all other contenders for being most loved as a national leader or politician. In practically all geographic areas, regions and socio-demographic variables, her margin over other personalities are nearly all double-digit, indicative of her great stature in the eyes of numerous Filipinos. (See Table 2)
Except for Estrada (13%), Villar (5%), Legarda (1%) and Roxas (1%), no current candidate for the presidency, vice-presidency or the Senate is identified by even half of one percent (0.5%) of those surveyed as their most beloved national leader or politician. Even senatorial wannabes currently doing well in the coming May 2010 elections -- the younger politicians (Senators Jinggoy Estrada, Ramon "Bong" Revilla and Governor Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.) as well as their more senior, veteran counterparts (Senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Miriam Defensor-Santiago and former Senators Franklin Drilon, Ralph Recto and Sergio Osmena III) -- fail to hurdle even this low (0.5%) affective threshold. (See Table 2)
Historical figures lack centrality among survey respondents asked to name their most beloved national leader or politician. Jose P. Rizal barely gets noticed with only a rounded one percent of those surveyed naming him their most loved in this probe. Manuel L. Quezon and Sergio Osmena, Sr. get even less public endorsement than Rizal while Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Aguinaldo, Apolinario Mabini and Jose P. Laurel, among other heroic figures, do not seem to register at all as Filipino leaders or politicians deserving much love.
In defining their May 2010 electoral choices, love for a Filipino national leader or politician understandably influences the country's voters; however, as a critical political resource, love also appears to reflect fickleness in some specific cases
Among those considering former President Aquino (35%) as their most beloved national political leader, half (50%) now express a presidential vote preference for her son Senator Noynoy Aquino in the coming May 2010 elections; however among the same President Aquino-lovers, one third (33%) opt for Senator Villar as their presidential choice. For those viewing former President Estrada as their most beloved political leader (13%), close to half (46%) also faithfully see him as their presidential choice for May 2010; however, 29% prefer Senator Villar and 19% say Senator Aquino for the presidency. (See Tables 3a, 3b and 3c)
Senator Villar appears to enjoy the most reliable electoral capital among those seeing him as their most beloved political leader. An impressive 92% among this relatively small group (5%) group say yes to his presidential bid, with only a tiny fraction (2% to 3%) preferring other presidentiables. Even more impressively, those who are politically enamoured with Brother Eddie Villanueva (an even smaller group that is less than 0.5%), deliver a 100% presidential voting preference and refuse to consider any other person as a worthy presidential suitor.
The love-is-not-enough pattern hound other presidentiables. Among those who consider Senator Noynoy Aquino as the prime choice for their most beloved political leader – this is a rather small group of less than 0.5% – most (89%) see Brother Eddie Villanueva as a preferable presidential candidate; only 11% are completely faithful to Senator Aquino and thus support his presidential drive.
The love-is not-enough pattern also is characteristic of those minuscule groups (all less than 0.5%) in love with former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and Senator Richard Gordon. Eight out of ten (83%) of those who profess love for Teodoro are supporting Villar for the presidency; among Gordon lovers, close to seven out of ten (66%) desert him for Teodoro and just about a third (34%) remain enamoured enough to prefer him as a May 2010 presidential candidate.
Considerations other than love probably also drive Filipinos professing their greatest love for either Senator Loren Legarda or Senator Mar Roxas to support someone other than their beloved's tandemned principal or presidential standard bearer. Five out of ten (53%) of Senator Legarda's professed political lovers support Senator Aquino for the presidency; slightly less than five out of ten (47%) declare for her official presidential running mate Senator Villar. Similarly, in the case of Senator Roxas' politically amorous constituency, about four in ten (39%) extend support for his presidential running mate, Senator Aquino; however, a bigger number among them (48%) turn around to support Senator Villar and yet another 13% decide to pick up Brother Villanueva for the presidency.
______________________________________________ 1 In Regions 10 and CARAGA, seven out of ten (71%) actually say no one is worth loving among the nation's leaders or politicians.
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