Magpale unfazed by survey results

ALL politics is indeed local.

A recent survey conducted by Social Weather Station (SWS) in Mandaue City, Cebu showed Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale of the Liberal Party (LP) tailing behind a Mandauehanon, former congresswoman Nerissa Soon-Ruiz of One Cebu.

But Magpale is unfazed by the survey results, saying she expects a tough fight in Mandaue City because her opponent is a Mandauehanon.

“In the same way nga sa quinto distrito (that in the fifth district) I think she would also expect a tough fight,” she said, referring to her political rival, Soon-Ruiz.

“I will continue to make myself visible to the Mandauehanons and explain to them that I may not be from the city, but my heart is with every town and city in the province,” she said during a press briefing at the Argao town plaza shortly before the Liberal Party (LP) launched its campaign trail yesterday.

Soon-Ruiz, a former three-term representative of Cebu’s 6th district in Congress, is challenging Magpale for the second highest position in the province under the Garcia-led One Cebu. She was born and raised in Mandaue City and has numerous relatives there.

LOCAL LP BETS

As with the last local elections in 2013, Magpale, a member of the Durano-led Barug Alang sa Kauswagan ug Demokrasya (BAKUD), is running with Gov. Hilario Davide III, who heads the provincial chapter of the Liberal Party.

The rest of the local LP slate from  Davide to vice mayoralty candidate Carlo Pontico Fortuna were leading in the survey results.

The survey showed that Soon-Ruiz, a resident of Mandaue City, was ahead at 43 percent while Magpale was tailing at 31 percent.

Davide, however, expressed confidence that they would still win in Mandaue City because of their strong local slate. He claimed that their own surveys showed them leading in Mandaue, although he couldn’t provide any details.

“But of course, this is just a survey. It serves as a guide for candidates, on where they should concentrate,” he said.

RESULTS

Davide got 34 percent, leading by 11 percent compared to One Cebu gubernatorial bet, Winston Garcia who got 23 percent.

The governor led in all economic classes  — ABC, 47 percent; D, 36 percent; and E, 26 percent;  and gender groups:  male, 38 percent; and female, 30 percent.

Garcia got 18 percent in the ABC class, 24 percent in D class and 23 percent in E. At least 33 percent of women favored the former general manager of the Government Service Insurance System and 13 percent of male voters.

For Mandaue mayor, Rep. Luigi Quisumbing led by nine percent or 49 percent as against his opponent, Mandaue Councilor Lolypop Ouano-Dizon of One Cebu who got 40 percent.

In the vice mayoralty race, Fortuna led by 15 percent or 45 percent while his opponent, Toben Andaya of One Cebu got 30 percent.

According to Vladimir Licudine, SWS deputy director for survey and training, the survey was conducted on March 10 to 12 with 300 respondents spread across the 27 barangays in the city which had a voting population of 189,712.

The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 6 percentage, said Licudine.

COMMISSIONED

It was commissioned by lawyer Victor Rodriguez, a friend of Quisumbing.

When reached for comment, Rodriquez in a phone interview  said the survey was part of the national survey.

He said they just asked to set aside a particular survey for Mandaue as his way of helping Quisumbing in his mayoralty bid.

Rodriquez stressed that he was not part of the Liberal Party or any political party.

“I am not an LP member. I am not a supporter of Mar (Roxas). I am not a supporter of Leni (Robredo),” he said of the LP presidential and vice presidential candidates.

He admitted that he was supporting the presidential bid of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and the vice presidential campaign of Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

PR STUNT

Meanwhile, One Cebu gubernatorial bet Winston Garcia, in a statement emailed to Cebu Daily News, described the survey as a PR stunt.

“We would like to remind Mr. Rodriguez that the camp of Mr. Luigi Quisumbing also held a press conference a week before the 2007 congressional elections, saying that he would win. It turned out that he lost badly to Rep. Nerissa Soon -Ruiz despite spending P200 million for the campaign,” the statement read.

“The camp of mayoral candidate Lolypop Ouano -Dizon is confident that she will win on May 9, 2016 elections and we have the numbers to support that,” Garcia added.

He also claimed that they did an independent survey with 1,200 respondents and “our candidates got double digit lead against the opponents.”