Pulse Asia ready to defend surveys

Pulse Asia executive director Ana Maria Tabunda assured the public yesterday that the agency uses scientific methods in its surveys and is ready for any investigation.

Tabunda issued the statement following reports that Malacañang is considering what legal actions to take against firms behind at least two recent surveys that showed unsavory public perception of President Arroyo.

Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Sergio Apostol said Malacañang’s plans are separate from the investigation being pushed by Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago against Pulse Asia after it released a survey which showed that Mrs. Arroyo was perceived to be the most corrupt president in Philippine history.

“Yes, definitely we (administrtation officials) are questioning it because they (Pulse Asia) are not independent, they are not impartial, they are biased,” Apostol said in an interview over radio station dzBB.

Reacting to Apostol’s accusations, Tabunda said everyone is entitled to their opinion.

“If Apostol doubts our credibility, then there are others who don’t. Our procedures are scientific and we can prove we conducted interviews,” she said.

She explained that the only difference between a commissioned survey and a non-commissioned one is that the person who commissioned the survey has the right to make it public or not release it.

“If the results don’t favor the one who commissioned the survey, the results will not likely be made public,” she said.

“We have had our share of candidates who commissioned our survey but joined in berating us if the survey is not in their favor,” Tabunda said, adding that even administration officials had commissioned some questions for its regular Ulat ng Bayan surveys.