QUEZON CITY – Dahil sa pagkalat ng fake news at ang lumalaking banta nito sa paparating na halalan sa 2022, ikinatuwa ng Commission on Elections (COMELEC) ang pagkakaroon ng bagong survey firm na tinatawag na Boses, Opinyon, Siyasat, at Siyensya para sa Pilipinas o BOSES Pilipinas na layong maging mas transparent at innovative sa paggawa ng opinion polls at survey research.
Sa launching ng research firm nitong Miyerkules, sinabi ni COMELEC Spokesperson Director James Jimenez na ang BOSES Pilipinas ay makakatulong sa pagkakaroon ng mas maalam at matalinong botante.
“One of the major problems identified by the COMELEC as being a red flag, coming up to the 2022 elections, is the proliferation of disinformation and misinformation. Any initiative that will help to educate the public as to the difference between the two, of course, will be very welcome,” sabi ni Jimenez.
“The fact that [BOSES Pilipinas] is more transparent with its methods, the fact that more people can see behind the curtain… will contribute to the attention that they would get. Marami nga tayong surveys diyan, pero iyong level of satisfaction naman with the surveys ay apektado dahil nga duda iyong publiko doon sa survey outfit, or doon sa resulta,” dagdag pa niya.
Binigyang diin ng COMELEC spokesperson na ang “level of security that the conclusions, the projects undertaken will be undertaken for the right reasons and certainly for enlightenment of the audience.”
Non-commissioned surveys, masisiguro ang independent at credible research
Sinigurado ni BOSES Pilipinas convenor Dr. Imelda Deinla na ang survey unit ay mananatiling non-partisan at academic-based kaya naman hindi sila tatanggap ng “commissioned surveys” mula sa mga pulitiko.
“We want the Filipinos to trust the results of our surveys and that is why mahalaga po sa amin that we do this through a reliable, transparent, and credible process and the public can take comfort in the fact that our surveys will only be conducted after undergoing a university review,”
“Mahalagang mahalaga that we ask the right questions, that there is no bias in the way we ask the questions, and that we get the right representation in the population. At higit sa lahat po, we conduct our surveys through ethical and respectful conduct.” sabi ni Dr. Deinla.
Suportado din ni VERA Files co-founder at president Ellen Tordesillas ang paglunsad ng survey group dahil makakatulong ito sa pagtiyak na fact-based at credible ang mga reports ng mga lokal na mamamahayag.
“When we give the people credible fact-based reports, we are giving them the weapon to counter disinformation so that they themselves can hold those in power accountable. BOSES Pilipinas will help us give substance to the accountability journalism we are doing,” pahayag ni Tordesillas.
Ayon din sa VERA Files co-founder, malaking bagay ang pagiging independent ng BOSES Pilipinas mula sa mga “commissioned surveys” dahil masisiguro nito na mabibigyang boses ang taumbayan.
“It is also giving opportunity to people who are most vulnerable, iyong mahirap i-reach, to know their concerns, their views, their feelings. This is giving voice to the voiceless.”
Mas malalim na pagtingin sa mga opinyon gamit ang Innovative methodologies
Samantala, ayon naman kay Facebook Data for Good Public Policy and Research Manager Kelsey Mulcahy, magiging malaking tulong ang innovative methodologies ng BOSES Pilipinas sa paglalathala ng mas mahahalagang ebidensya at impormasyon na magagamit sa paggawa ng mga batas.
“I think there’s a great opportunity there to be able to administer surveys on social media whether it’s Facebook or any other social media. You are probably able to capture information quickly and be able to sort of administer surveys and then share information out at a faster pace,” ayon kay Mulcahy.
Dagdag pa ni Dr. Deinla, bubuuin ang BOSES Pilipinas ng mga ekspertong kilala at maaasahan sa kani-kanilang larangan tulad na lamang ng political science, economics, psychology, law, public administration, at mass communication. “We will also be using an interdisciplinary lens sa pagsisiyasat sa kung ano ang nag-uudyok sa mga saloobin ng mamamayan. Ibig sabihin, we will combine
disciplines in the way we examine complex problems that the country faces. It is our goal that our leaders and decision-makers will use those survey results in crafting responsive and effective policies and decisions,” ayon kay Dr. Deinla.
Sa mga darating na buwan, ang BOSES Pilipinas, katulong ang non-partisan, pro-democracy coalition na PARTICIPATE, ay maglalabas ng mga opinion polls at evidence-based studies sa presidential satisfaction, 2022 elections voting preferences among the youth, disinformation and fake news, youth leadership and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK), vote-buying, at iba pa.
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PARTICIPATE is a non-partisan, pro-democracy coalition dedicated to engage and empower the political participation of the Filipino people. It aims to strengthen citizen oversight of electoral processes, increase the availability and accessibility of information to promote informed voting, and support constituency-building for electoral reforms.
