An independent survey conducted by the Community and Leadership Development Advocates Inc. (CLDA) show negative campaigning shun by the iBenguet.
CLDA reported, “We found that 91% of Benguet voters abhor negative campaigning, and 92% of respondents consider ‘public service performance’ as the most important metric in choosing officials.”
Incumbent Benguet Congressman Eric Yap leads the survey with 1,162 votes (71.28%), followed by incumbent vice governor Ericson “Tagel” Felipe with 402 votes (24.66%), Jerome Wakat with 50 votes (3.06%), and Mistah Sidddayao with 16 votes (0.98%).
For the gubernatorial race, incumbent Governor Melchor Diclas tops the choices with 1,029 votes (65%), followed by George Punasen with 249 votes (15%), Reuben Paoad with 129 votes (8.08%), and Johnny Waguis with 177 votes (11.18%).
“The project was inspired by political polls conducted by other groups like OCTA Research and SWS,” CLDA stated. “As part of our goal to expand our research services, we conducted this Benguet political poll to record the choices, opinions, and sentiments of Benguet voters for the upcoming May 2025 elections.”
For the “Benguet Pulse 2025” survey, a random sample of 250,000 Benguet voter-residents were asked about their preferences for Congressman based on performance. The field activities included actual interviews with random respondents in various barangays across the 13 municipalities, with a 95% confidence level and a 2% margin of error.
CLDA also surveyed Baguio City residents’ awareness of their public officials’ performance, asking, “Who is the top-performing public official in Baguio?” Incumbent Mayor Benjamin Magalong led with 33%, followed by incumbent Congressman Mark Go with 30%, and Vice Mayor Faustino Olowan with 16%. Other officials accounted for the remaining 20%.
The Baguio survey utilized a random sampling method with 300 respondents, a 95% confidence level, and a 6% margin of error.
The private group surveyed only single-seat positions. Nic Satur Jr. is the current CLDA president, and the board comprises members from academia and local government units. The organization is registered as a learning events organizer and community leadership programs advocate, aiming to provide supplemental training events and services for students, leaders, and professionals to develop the country’s workforce. By Maria Elena Catajan
