Press Secretary Jesus Dureza formally asked the Marketing and Opinion Research Society of the Philippines (MORES) to “take a public position on the very low standard of professionalism exhibited by Pulse Asia in their ‘July 2008 Nationwide Survey on Presidential Performance and Trust Rating.’”
In a letter, Dureza asked Gerald Bautista, President of MORES, to inform the public if Pulse Asia is a member of the umbrella organization of professional polling organizations in the country as well as look into the methodology used by the survey firm.
Stressing that although he is not against any polling organization that ”measures public opinion on any subject,” Dureza said surveys must “inform, not manipulate, the public.”
Dureza pointed out that the Pulse Asia survey conducted before Monday when President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo delivered her State- of- the- Nation Address, was teeming with deficiencies as “its line of questioning generates respondents who are not familiar enough with past SONAs to offer an opinion on past speeches that could be used as the basis for a credible national perspective.”
Dureza said Pulse Asia, like any public opinion company, “has an obligation to maintain the highest professional standards in pursuit of tracking genuine public opinion. It is unfortunate that this recent survey betrays that public trust in the timing and construction of the questionnaire.
Dureza further said that:” It is essential at anytime, but particularly in times of deep national economic and social distress, that public opinion research firms go the extra mile – to dig deep to find out what is on the mind of the public, not merely scratch the surface for cheap sensational headlines.”
The Press Secretary expressed confidence MORES would ensure that the public is not manipulated by such unethical polling practices. (PIA/Bohol)