INQUIRER.net Eleksyon 2007

Who cares about political parties?

Inquirer

Jerome Aning

MANILA, Philippines -- Who cares about political parties?

A Social Weather Stations survey shows most Filipinos believe no political party “truly promotes their welfare” and that many people are indifferent to the practice of party-switching by politicians.

Commissioned by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, the SWS survey was conducted on Nov. 24-29, 2006, and involved 1,200 respondents -- all voting-age adults, including 150 who were not registered voters.

The survey results were presented during an electoral party reforms forum in Manila hosted by the KAS, Center of Asia-Pacific Studies and the Ateneo de Manila University’s School of Government.

The survey, which had a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points, showed that 67 percent of the respondents, regardless of area, believed no political party truly promoted their welfare.

“The low percentage of Filipinos that are party-leaning suggests that the parties have not sufficiently informed, inspired and persuaded the citizenry about their political visions, policies and platforms,” said Ateneo School of Government Associate Dean Dennis Gonzales.

“Unfortunately, political parties are mere electoral vehicles of politicians during the campaign period and their friendship clubs outside the election season,” Gonzales said.

Overall, 27 percent of the respondents said some political parties did promote their welfare and they therefore were considered party-leaning.

Of those who did not graduate from elementary school, 81 percent said no party promoted their welfare.

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