Survey: Davao voters to junk Partylist bets

By Che Palicte
LOOKS LIKE Partylist candidates hoping to win the votes of Davao’s electorate will have a lot of convincing to do.
According to a recent survey, fifty three percent of Davao City voters say they will not vote for Partylist candidates in the 2013 mid-term elections.
More than half of respondents in a recent survey conducted by IPO (Institute of Public Opinion) think that partylist groups serve no benefit to the electorate, and are calling for a change in the partylist system to really serve its purpose otherwise it should be abolished.     Davao City has a population of 1,536,125, 61 percent of which is of voting age.
Some of the common flaws perceived by the respondents are (1) many partylist candidates come under the category of “nuisance” (43.90%), (2) anyone can be a nominee (42%), (3) just talk without taking action (41.90%), (4) the presence of a powerful few to decide for the group (41.40%), (4) they do not represent public interest (40.20%), (5) they are controlled by a few rich and powerful members (41.10%),  (6) not a true political party in the real meaning of the word (41.10%).    
The survey employed a three percent margin of error, and was conducted last November 20-28, 2012 among 1,400 respondents aged 18 years old and above, of whom 70.3% voted in the Partylist elections in May of 2010 while 29.3% did not vote for any group listed in the partylist.
The middle-age group, 36-42 years old (18.5%) participated in the partylist elections, followed by those in their early 30’s (17.77%) and those belonging to the 43-49 years bracket (14.09%). Involvement in the partylist system was highest among those whose ages showed high political maturity  and with economic standing.
On the other hand, 37.9% of partylist voters believe that it provides the system of choosing their true sectoral representative and that the group represents the concerns and issues of the marginalized sector (37%) while 36% of the respondents say that they patronize the partylist system because it allows ordinary citizens to serve the public as it is the political party of the ordinary people. Less than 35% believe that (1) the Partylist system is an alternative for achieving genuine public service, (2) partylist can help advance the welfare of the public sector and, (3) it presents a ready system to voice the issues of the marginalized sector.