ONE in every four Filipinos will support a presidential candidate with an “untarnished reputation,” the opinion polling firm Pulse Asia said in its latest survey released Friday.
“For a little over one in every four Filipinos (28 percent), the most important reason why they are supporting a particular presidential candidate is because of said candidate’s having an untarnished reputation or a reputation for not being corrupt,” Pulse Asia president Ronald Holmes said Friday.
Pulse Asia also said workers’ pay and illegal drugs were the top issues Filipinos would like their preferred presidential candidate to address immediately once he or she assumed office as the next president of the country.
“The most often mentioned national issues which Filipinos would like their preferred presidential candidate to act on at once upon assuming the presidency are increasing the pay of workers (38 percent) and curbing the widespread sale and use of illegal drugs (36 percent),” the polling firm said.
The second cluster of urgent issues that should be addressed immediately by the presidential candidates includes controlling inflation (30 percent), fighting corruption in the government (30 percent), reducing poverty (29 percent) and creating more jobs (26 percent), Pulse Asia said.
Fighting criminality (24 percent) and enforcing the rule of law (20 percent) make up the third group of urgent issues that a presidential candidate must deal with immediately when he/she wins.
A total of 1,800 registered voters nationwide were provided a list of possible considerations that they may have in choosing a presidential candidate, showing that 28 percent of Filipino voters would support a presidential bet who has a reputation for not being corrupt.
According to Pulse Asia, this opinion is shared among all geographic areas (27 to 32 percent) and Classes D and E (25 to 29 percent).
The second most often mentioned reason for voting for a particular candidate is having a clear program or platform of action (14 percent) and extensive experience in governance (12 percent).
Other reasons such as being knowledgeable in the management of government (9 percent), being helpful (6 percent) and being religious (6 percent) are the other reasons that the respondents cited for voting for a presidential bet.
Being involved in a political dynasty and nationalism are the least reasons that Filipinos would vote for a particular candidate reeking the presidency.
But for the camp of Liberal Party standard bearer Manuel Roxas II, who is being blamed for the onerous procurement of maintenance providers for the beleaguered MRT-3 by former general manager Al Vitangcol, they are sure that the administration bet won’t have his long years in public service and reputation get soiled just by the on-going MRT-3 scuttle.
“[Roxas] has been in public service for over two decades, he’s been in the congress, he’s been in the senate, he’s been in the cabinets of three presidents. In 20 years, what scandal or corruption issue marred the name of Secretary Mar Roxas? None, right?” Rep. Barry Gutierrez told reporters at the Liberal Party’s headquarters on Friday.
“In fact, he’s probably the only candidate whose running now who can both claim a long record in public service more than two decades and very extraordinary, a long record all that time, wasn’t involved in any single corruption case.”
Gutierrez then shot back at Vitangcol who accused Roxas and Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya of “gross and inexcusable neglect.”
“Those are just intrigues made [by Vitangcol.] His mistake is that he contracted a company that’s being owned by his relatives. He didn’t know this, and was caught in the act.
“Roxas doesn’t have any allegation of abuse or corruption. Which you cannot say for a lot of the other candidates.”