One in two Filipinos fear a return of traditional politics should either of the frontrunners in the presidential race wins next year’s elections, a non-commissioned online survey conducted by big data research firm Tangere showed.
According to Martin Peñaflor, CEO and Founder of Tangere, 40 percent of the 1,200 respondents nationwide said they do not expect improvement in their lives if either former Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. or Vice President Leni Robredo wins in the elections.
“This is turning out to be a cynical election,” Peñaflor said. “We have two leading candidates that are seen by many as traditional politicians where the poorest don’t believe inequality will be addressed and where many of the voters feel like even if their candidate is elected, it is still better to leave the country.”
Peñaflor said at least 52 percent of the respondents said a Marcos or Robredo win can be considered a return to traditional politics.
“It is also ironic that the poorest sector of the economy is distrustful of the election early frontrunners considering that both supposedly champion the poor,” he said.
“A surprising 51 percent of the respondents agree that Leni and Marcos are more focused on fighting each other and are looking for alternative leaders who will champion their interest as shown in the research for their preference toward [Manila Mayor Francisco Domagoso] Moreno and [Sen. Manny] Pacquiao,” Peñaflor said.
The survey also showed that two in five Filipinos feel it is better to leave the country to settle or work elsewhere regardless of who will win the presidency.
The survey was conducted on December 13, 2021 with a margin of error of five percent.
Tangere is an award-winning research company that has an active respondents’ base of more than 500,000.