“Pulso ng UP Mindanao” mock-elections (Photo from UP Mindanao website)
DAVAO CITY – The tandem of Presidential aspirant Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Alan Peter Cayetano topped the mock election held last April 27 to 29 in the University of the Philippines in Mindanao.
In a press release of UP Mindanao on Monday, May 2, presidential front runner Duterte got 70 percent of the total votes cast during the “Pulso ng UP Mindanao” mock election.His rival and UP Mindanao alumna, Senator Miriam Santiago came in second with 20 percent of the votes.
Trailing behind them were Senator Grace Poe with .06 percent, formerInterior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II with .04 percent and Jejomar Binay and Roy Seneres .02 percent.
Meanwhile, Cayetano got 53 percent of votes for the vice presidential candidates, while Rep. Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo came in second with 25 percent of the votes. Vice presidential front runner Sen.Ferdinand Marcos Jr. placed third with 8 percent, followed by Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero with 2.2 percent, Sen. Antonio Trillanes with 2.1 percent, and Senator Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan II with .07 percent.
UP Mindanao’s mock-election was participated by 29 percent of the voting population in the campus or a total of 438 faculty, students and staff using an automated software created by a student in the Computer Science program.
UP Min’s senatorial, partylist bets
The top 13 senatorial candidates were: Juan Miguel Zubiri, Ana Theresia Hontiveros-Baranguel, Richard Gordon, Neri Colmenares, Francis Pangilinan, Sergio Osmena III, Franklin Drilon, Panfilo Lacson, Sr., Ralph Recto, Leila de Lima, Sherwin Gatchalian, Joel Villanueva, and Teofisto Guingona III.
Makabayan Coalition members Kabataan Partylist and Gabriela Women’s Party also placed first and second, respectively on the choices of the partylists. The other partylists who got 2 percent of the votes were Akbayan Citizen’s Action Party, Pwersa ng Bayaning Atleta, ACT Teachers Party-List, Advocacy for Teacher Empowerment through Action Cooperation and Harmony Towards Educational Reforms, Global Workers and Family Federation, and Alyansa ng mga Grupong Haligi ng Agham at Teknolohiya para sa Mamamayan.
Local elections
Incumbents of the first and second districts, Representatives Karlo Nograles and Mylene Garcia topped Pulso. While, Alberto Ungab who is the brother of the incumbent third district representative, Isidro Ungab, took the lead against rival City Councilor Karlo Bello.
Meanwhile, mayoralty candidate Inday Sara Duterte and her brother, re-electionist Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte also topped the voters’ preferences.
For councilors in the first district, candidates who topped were: Maria Belen Sunga-Acosta; Leah Librado-Yap; Bonifacio Militar; J. Melchor Quitain; Pilar Braga; Leonardo Avila III who was substituted by his wife Lorelyn tied with Edgar Ibuyan Jr.; Joanne Bonguyan; and Nilo Abellera Jr.
For councilors in the second district, the leading were: Maria Cherry Ann Bonguyan who tied with Danilo Dayanghirang; Al Ryan Alejandre who tied with April Marie Dayap; Marissa Salvador Abella; Jimmy Dureza; Diosdado Angelo Mahipus Sr.; and Dante Apostol who tied with Mar Masanguid.
For councilors in the third district, the leading were: Bernard Al-ag; Jesus Zozobrado Jr; Luzviminda Ilagan who tied the spot with Myrna Dalodo-Ortiz; Victorio Advincula Jr. tied with Conrado Baluran; Rene Elias Lopez tied with Antoinette Principe-Castrodes; and Joselle Villafuerte.
Commendable
Senior communication student, Sancia Novie Palma said that the mock election was a “commendable initiative” of the university.
“This shows the pulse of UP Mindanao on the upcoming election, meaning this initiative was made to encourage everyone to participate in the upcoming elections,” Palma said.
On the results, Palma said: “I guess this reflects the fact that Mayor Duterte is from Davao, so he topped the poll”.
Voter turnout
Meanwhile, Carla Louise Bayquen, a senior Biology student said that the mock election’s low voter turnout means there is a need “for the youth to encourage everyone to take part in a huge decision-making process that would determine the nation’s future.”
Palma said that the figure is a reflection that there is “a need to engage the students and staff [of UPMindanao] to participate in the election and to exercise their political and democratic rights.”
However, she said the voter turnout of 29 percent “is a good thing given the efforts to promote the mock elections.”
“Maybe, some of them [voters] do have appointments that is why they were not able to participate. But the result of the initiatives like this is, in a way, [is a] microcosm of the whole political spectrum of UP Mindanao,” Palma added.
For 3rd year Communication student, Kenneth Paul Senarillos, the 29 percent voter turnout could br due to “lack of publicity”.
“It was not publicized that much and the people are busy because it was already exams week,” Senarillos said.
The voting process of the said mock poll was automated. The voters were required to create an account to be able to log in to the system. They filled up the form which had the same format on the ballot used by the Comelec.
Senarillos said that it only took five to seven minutes in order to vote. He said a voter is asked to provide his name, contact details, and address.
The mock election had three precincts, with one of the precinctslocated at the Atrium and two precincts located at the College of Science and Mathematics. (with a report from Earl O. Condeza/davaotoday.com)
