NEWSFLASH
LAKAS SURVEY SHOWS ERAP SNAP POLL WIN -- PALACE
Manila, Oct. 27, 2000 - If snap elections were held today, President Estrada would easily beat his rival and win 40 percent of the votes, according to an alleged "secret survey" commissioned by the opposition Lakas NUCD-UMDP Kampi, Malacañang revealed yesterday.
Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs Lito Banayo told reporters yesterday that Lakas leaders paid for the survey "to gauge the people's sentiments on the effects of 'juetengate' on President Estrada," and were stunned by the results.
"The opinion (poll) conducted by a prominent and well-respected survey organization showed that over 40 percent (of the electorate) will still vote for President Estrada, roughly the same margin he got when he won during the 1998 (presidential) elections," Banayo said.
However, Joey Rufino, Lakas NUCD-UMDP KAMPI national headquarters executive director, denied yesterday that they had commissioned the survey.
In an official statement sent to The Philippine STAR, Rufino called the alleged survey "another lie from Malacañang" which he said was "getting desperate" because of the growing number demanding Mr. Estrada's resignation.
"We do not fault Malacañang political adviser Lito Banayo who must be hallucinating and continues to peddle lies together with his cohorts Dong Puno et al," he said.
Banayo said the respondents were asked the question: "Would you vote for President Estrada if snap elections were held today?"
Banayo said the results of the "secret survey" may be the reason why Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who is a Lakas official, is vehemently against the holding of any snap elections.
"According to reliable sources, the result of the survey was the reason the political opposition is adamantly opposed to the holding of snap polls, which was first proposed by Senator Enrile as an immediate solution to the crisis plaguing the country," he added.
Banayo said most of those who voted for Mr. Estrada in the survey had come from urban and rural poor communities from all over the country.
"This is the same voting bloc that supported him (Mr. Estrada) during the May 1998 presidential elections," he said.
Banayo said the President received high ratings in Mindanao where the administration had poured development funds and taken a hardline position against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Abu Sayyaf.
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