7 of 10 Butuan voters expect money for their votes – poll

BUTUAN CITY, Philippines  â€“ Many voters here are still expecting money in exchange for their votes in the May elections, according to a second opinion survey conducted by a Catholic university here.

The survey, conducted from March 7 to 15 by the Fr. Saturnino Urios University (FSUU) Policy Center, shows that seven of 10 voters in this city are expecting money from candidates for their votes.

This finding merely reiterated what the first opinion survey last Jan. 23-30 showed.

Also, seven of 10 respondents in the second survey said they knew someone in their community who expect to receive money in the coming polls.

Lawyer Josefe Sorera-Ty, executive director of the FSUU Policy Center, said as far as vote buying is concerned, nothing has changed since they conducted a survey in the run-up to the 2010 elections.

The 2010 survey also showed that majority of local voters expected to receive money.

In the 2010 polls, the local Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting noted that there was “rampant vote buying and selling” in this city, the two Agusan provinces and elsewhere in the Caraga region.

The FSUU Policy Center said the two recent surveys were non-partisan and were aimed at helping the public make an informed choice.

According to the survey respondents, politicians must address major problems on the environment, infrastructure, peace and order, and employment and livelihood opportunities. 

In the city’s mayoral race, Rep. Jose Aquino II (Lakas) got 34.33 percent approval rating, while re-electionist Mayor Ferdinand Amante Jr. got 29.38 percent.

In the congressional race, former congressman and Integrated Bar of the Philippines national president Roan Libarios (United Nationalist Alliance) edged out incumbent Vice Mayor Lawrence Fortun (Liberal Party). Libarios got 37.92 percent approval rating compared to Fortun’s 21.38 percent.

Among the vice mayoral bets, Josephine Marticion-Salise (Lakas) got 22.03 percent; Angelo Victor Calo (LP), 17.08 percent; and Randolph Plaza (UNA), 15.67 percent. All three are incumbent councilors.