‘Who paid for surveys?’

Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr.. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Thursday said pollsters are required to identify the financiers of their election surveys.

Comelec Chair Sixto Brillantes said in an interview the poll body would seek clarification from survey research groups Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations (SWS) on the identities of those behind the preelection surveys they conducted in a hearing on April 16.

The Comelec’s move stemmed from United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) spokesperson Toby Tiangco’s letter to the poll body inquiring about the absence of a rule requiring public opinion polling groups to reveal who commissioned the surveys.

“In the last two surveys conducted by SWS and Pulse Asia, they were saying, at least publicly, that they were not commissioned by anybody and that they conducted the surveys on their own. The question is who paid for them?” said Brillantes.

Comelec Resolution No. 9615 states that during the election period, any person or organization may conduct an election survey but it should include information like who commissioned or paid for the survey.

The Comelec also announced it had finished printing all 52 million ballots on Wednesday, three weeks ahead of schedule.

Secretary Herminio Coloma, head of the Presidential Communications Operations Office that supervises the National Printing Office, told the INQUIRER it was an efficient process with the use of “high-tech” printing machines belonging to the company that won the contract.