Philippine Vice-President Jejomar C. Binay. AP FILE PHOTO
Vice President Jejomar Binay on Tuesday said he was surprised with the results of the recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey on presidential preference, which showed he ranked third on the list of preferred successors of President Benigno Aquino III.
Binay said he was shocked because the poll results were supposedly contrary with and non-reflective of the support he has been getting when touring different parts the country.
“Ka-ipokritohan naman kung sasabihin ko sa inyong hindi ako nagulat. Nagulat lang ako dahil sa hindi ho tugma ito sa aming nararanasan at nakikita sa pag-iikot ho sa ating bansa,” Binay said in a radio interview.
(It would be hypocrisy if I won’t tell you I wasn’t surprised. I was surprised because it’s not the same as what we’re experiencing and what we see when we’re going around the country.)
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With 35 percent of respondents rooting for him, Binay trailed behind Senator Grace Poe and Liberal Party standard-bearer Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, who came in first and second, respectively.
Binay, who was erstwhile frontrunner in the SWS electoral survey before slipping to second place in June, also expressed doubts over the pollster’s methodology.
“Malaking bagay ho kung ano ‘yung itinatanong. Kasi ho ito ang pagkakatanong dito, magbigay ka ng tatlo na sa iyong isip ay pwedeng pumalit [kay Pres. Aquino]. So, pagka inadopt mo ‘yung lahat ng tinanong sobra-sobra sa 100% ‘yan. Kahit na lang doon sa aming tatlo, [sobra na] sa 100%, kasi ang tanong lang naman ‘yun,” he said.
But Binay said he considers the poll results as a wake-up call to improve his numbers, noting that his core of supporters remains intact.
“Ano pa’t sa amin, kung ganoon man ang resulta, hindi pa naman ho ‘yan ang eleksyon, wake-up call lang. Isa pa, kapuna-puna na nandoon pa ho ‘yung aming core group. Buong-buo pa ho ‘yung core group namin,” Binay said.
The Vice President said he was confident that his popularity in preference polls will continue to increase, noting that the most accurate survey will be held on Election Day.
“Ako ho ipinagmamalaki ko ang aking paniniwala na tataas at tataas ho. At ang talagang pinakatamang survey ay ang resulta ng eleksyon,” Binay said. Yuji Vincent Gonzales/TVJ