SC ruling on requiring poll firms to disclose clients’ names hailed

THE Supreme Court decision sustaining the Commission on Election’s (Comelec) resolution requiring survey firms to reveal the identities of their clients as well as those who commissioned, paid, and/or subscribed will help guide voters in choosing their candidates, election lawyer Romulo Macalintal said.

“By knowing the identities who commissioned or paid for the survey, the electorate could easily evaluate or would know if the results were merely self-serving,” Macalintal said in a statement.

The high court last Tuesday upheld the legality of Comelec Resolution 9674 which compels survey firms to disclose the names, identities or other personal information of all their respective subscribers.

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“In a word, disclosure of the identity of those who commissioned or paid for the surveys could test the credibility of the results of the survey paving the way for voters to vote on the basis of the competence of the candidate and not on self-serving results of surveys,” Macalintal said.

Macalintal added that the high court decision would also pave way for full implementation of the Omnibus Election Code on limitation of expenses of candidates.

“Since the names of the persons who commissioned, paid or subscribed to the said surveys are now required to be released, the Comelec would know if any candidate or political party spent for such surveys.”

“Since surveys are conducted for purposes of influencing the results of the election, then the expenses incurred thereof are considered as election expenses which should form part of the campaign expenditures to be reported by the candidates or political parties,” Macalintal added. AC