DO POLLSTERS Social Weather Stations (SWS) and Pulse Asia believe that people believe their never-ending surveys raising President Rodrigo Duterte’s ratings to high heavens?
Did you nod when you read the latest report from SWS saying that “an overwhelming 94 percent of Filipinos believe President Rodrigo Duterte can fulfill his promises”?
On the contrary, Duterte has already broken many of his promises – to stop illegal drug trade in “three to six months”; to eradicate graft and corruption; to end contractualization; and to assert territorial sovereignty over the islands in the West Philippine Sea.
The results of the unbelievable surveys with only 1,200 to 1,800 alleged respondents are translated into percentages that represent the entire population of Filipinos – now estimated to be between 106 and 109 million.
Who pays SWS and Pulse Asia for always massaging the presidential ego? If they insist that their surveys are “non-commissioned” for which they get not a centavo, watch out.
Remember when the late senator Miriam Defensor Santiago warned against commercial pollsters because they are paid to prefabricate a desired result and serve the interest of their sponsors.
Remember a lesson in German history when chief propagandist Joseph Goebbels advised his boss, Adolph Hitler, “Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth.”
Psychology students learn early in school that repetition makes an information true, regardless of whether it is or not. Understanding this effect can help us avoid falling for propaganda.
Why are we being bombarded with frequent surveys by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) and Pulse Asia showing President Rodrigo Duterte “loved” by 80 percent or more of the Filipinos? Is it to make us believe that whatever the President does – as in signing a law imposing higher taxes – redounds to public welfare?
The government always wants to collect more taxes. To do that, they convince us that more “sin taxes” should be imposed on cigarettes and alcohol to reduce consumption for health reasons. In reality, however, it punishes the poor who must spend more to feed their vices.
No doubt the SWS and Pulse Asia are now looking for “subscribers” to their senatorial surveys for mid-term election 2019. History has proven the mind-conditioning effect of survey rankings.
Remember how the Social Weather Stations (SWS) and Pulse Asia “sold” first-time candidate Nancy Binay for senator in 2013? Then congressman Toby Tiangco, as spokesman of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), revealed that his party had paid P1-million “subscription” for each of the done surveys (November 2012, January 2013, February, March and April). The last survey prophetically ranked her No. 5; and she placed unquestionably 5th in the actual election returns.
One recalls that while running for senators in 2016, Lorna Kapunan ang Susan Ople revealed that they had been approached for inclusion in the “top 12” for a fee but they refused. They never got nearer the 12th spot both in the surveys and the election returns.
A survey done by Pulse Asia for approval ratings in November 2017, compared Duterte to his predecessors Benigno Aquino III, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and Joseph Estrada. Only Duterte breached the 90 percent mark, getting 91 percent. Aquino came in second with 80 percent; Estrada, third with 74 percent; and Arroyo, fourth with 63 percent.
If the pollsters have succeeded, it’s in proving themselves wrong in reporting that 70 percent to 80 percent us Filipinos still enjoy the way Duterte runs our country.
That’s like saying that all or most of the Roman Catholics in this country still idolize the President who has said unprintable words against their faith, their Pope, bishops and priests. (hvego31@gmail.com/PN)
