Dr. Maria Paz Espiritu, director of the Holy Name University (HNU)-Center for Research and Publication (CRP) emphasized that the data in the Bohol Poll 2022 are complete, contrary to the insinuation made by a radio anchor.
It was insinuated by a radio anchor that the pollsters behind Bohol Poll 2022 were unable to ask respondents about their preference for vice governor and 2nd district representative.
Espiritu aired her reply to the insinuation in a radio interview over Open Forum on Apr. 11, 2022 hosted by Ardy Araneta-Batoy and Gloria Leodivica Araneta.
Espiritu bared that it is inaccurate to say that the pollsters failed to ask for he voter preference for vice governor and 2nd district representative in the Bohol Poll 2022.
“Dlii tinuod ang imong geingon nga walay district 2 unya wala pod vice governor; kompleto tanan gyud ang atong resulta for Bohol Poll 2022,” Espiritu told Gloria Araneta during the interview.
Edpiritu explained, “Ang nahitabo [in 2019] is wala mapangutana ang question sa 2nd district congress [congressman] ug sa vice governor. What is important, this year, 2022, kumpleto tanan.”
Moreover, Espiritu revealed that the HNU CRP, every year conducts the Bohol Poll. Due to the pandemic, the poll was not conducted in 2020 and 2021. The last Bohol Poll prior to this year was in 2019.
Furthermore, Espiritu said she is not at liberty to say whether or not there would be any legal action to be filed against the radio anchor who made the false insinuation.
A source said that an emissary allegedly sent by the camp of Cong. Aumentado visited a top ranking official of HNU to apologize for the false insinuation made by the radio anchor. This information, however, cannot be independently verified.
BACKGROUND
A radio anchor, a certain Romy Tolonghari, in his paid (block time) radio program aired on Apr. 11, 2022 over dyTR’s Balita FM, questioned the results of the Bohol Poll 2022 asking why there were results for vice governor and 2nd district representative when these were not included in the questionnaire provided
by the pollsters to the respondents.
Tolonghari is known as an anchor who has been criticizing Gov. Arthur Yap and who is supporting the candidacy of Rep. Aumentado.
In his radio program, the radio anchor played the audio clip of Espiritu’s 2019 interview. Espiritu was explaining in the interview about the omission of the questions on voters’ preference for vice governor and 2nd dist. representative.
“Ang dakong pangutana mga higala. Kay wala niya [Espiritu] masuksuk ang questionaire sa representative sa 2nd district ngano man nga duna may nigawas nga resulta sa HNU Bohol Poll sa pagkacongressman sa 2nd district?” Tolonghari said in his program.
Tolonghari added: ” Dili nato palampason ang tinunto nga gihimo sa atong mga Bol-anon. Kabahin niining survey ba sa HNU Bohol Poll. Nga mora ug dako maning binuang, murag unsa mani? Unsa man gayud ni, kita ray getinontohan aning mga Bol-anon. Or unsa man gayud ang tuyo ani nganong geingon ani man.”
Tolonghari made it appear in his radio program that the omission of the questions regarding the voters’ preference for vice governor and 2nd district representative happened this year.
He did not mention that the audio clip he aired on his program was recorded way back in 2019.
A day after the airing of the audio clip in his program, Tolonghari apologized to HNU and said the audio clip he aired was from 2019.
“Tuod diay mga higala ‘no. Ato lang sya i-correct ‘no. Nga mangayu ta ug dispensa sa HNU tungod sa gi-play nato kagahapon nga voice tape interview, dili to karon nga survey, adto pa tong 2019,” Tolonghari said in his program.