INQUIRER.net Eleksyon 2007

Bayan Muna continues to lose ground -- survey

INQUIRER.net

Joel Guinto

MANILA, Philippines -- The leftwing Bayan Muna partylist continued to lose ground among voters, but remained likely to retain three seats in the House of Representatives, according to a survey conducted in the homestretch of the campaign.

In the May 2-4 poll of the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Social Weather Stations (SWS), Bayan Muna got 8.4 percent of the votes cast for partylist groups, down from 10.4 percent in the April 14-17 survey, and 27.6 percent in the March 15-18 survey.

Akbayan Citizen's Action Party was also poised to keep its three House seats, with 8.2 percent of the votes.

A group needs two percent of the total votes cast for the partylist elections to get a seat in Congress. It is entitled to a maximum of three seats.

Fifteen other groups satisfied the two-percent rule:

1. Luzon Farmers Party or Butil (4.9 percent)

2. Buhay Hayaang Yumabong (4.2 percent)

3. Gabriela Women's Party (3.9 percent)

4. A Teacher (3.6 percent)

5. Ahon Pinoy (3.5 percent)

6. Citizen's Battle Against Corruption or Cibac, (3.5 percent)

7. Aangat Tayo (3.0 percent)

8. Agriculture Sector Alliance of the Philippines or Agap (2.7 percent)

9. Anakpawis (2.7 percent)

10. Ahonbayan (2.6 percent)

11. Coop-Natco (2.3 percent)

12. Abakada Guro (2.2 percent)

13. Kabataan (2.1 percent)

14. Anak Mindanao (2.1 percent)

15. Kapatiran ng mga KUlong na Walang Sala Inc. or Kakusa (2.0 percent).

Fifteen others were below the two-percent threshold, but were "within statistical reach" of winning one seat:

1. Abanse Pinay (1.9 percent)

2. Cocofed (1.8 percent)

3. Abono (1.7 percent)

4. Asahan Mo (1.5 percent)

5. Alagad (1.5 percent)

6. Veteran's Freedom Party or VFP (1.5 percent)

7. 1-Utak (1.5 percent)

8. Suara Bangsamoro (1.5 percent)

9. Aba-Ako (1.4 percent)

10. Almana (1.3 percent)

11. Association of Philippine Electric Cooperative or APEC (1.3 percent)

12. Anak (1.2 percent)

13. Akbay Pinoy OFW Inc. or APOI (1.1 percent)

14. Batas (1.0 percent)

15. Assalam Bangsamoro People's Party (1.0 percent)

The nationwide poll showed that 53 percent of the 1,200 respondents chose a partylist group from the official list of groups accredited by the Commission on Elections.

The SWS said the 53 percent could translate to 23.9 million votes in the May 14 balloting.

The study had a margin of error of +/-3 percent.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer is the parent company of INQUIRER.net.

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