Rufus slams Xavier academics: ‘Biased’

By LITO RULONA
and NITZ ARANCON
Correspondents

MAYORAL candidate Rep. Rufus Rodriguez of the city’s 2nd District yesterday hurled brickbats at the research group of his alma mater even as he rejected results of its late April survey that showed him to be a poor second and trailing behind reelectionist Mayor Oscar Moreno in the mayoral race.

Rodriguez protested the results of the April 25-April 26 survey by the Xavier University-Kinaadman Research Center that showed Moreno’s double-digit lead at 42 percent. The congressman received 26 percent while another Moreno challenger, ex-mayor Vicente Emano, ranked third with 22 percent.

In the March 12 to March 16 survey, Kinaadman had noted a three-way statistical tie among the three top mayoral candidates. Results of the March survey showed Emano with 31.75 percent, Moreno with 30.50 percent, and Rodriguez with 25.75 percent.

But results of the April survey showed Moreno’s ratings shooting up by 11.5 percent and Rodriguez’s by only 0.25 percent, and Emano’s taking a 9.75-percent nosedive.

The latest XU-Kinaadman survey results show Moreno’s team taking the lead, including Carmen barangay councilor Joaquin Rainier Uy who is running for vice mayor, reelectionist Rep. Rolando Uy in the 1st District, and ex-councilor Edgar Cabanlas.

For city council seats, Councilor Zaldy Ocon and Dr. Malou Gaane topped the survey in the 1st and 2nd Districts, respectively. Both are with Moreno’s group.

Rodriguez’s response yesterday was the opposite of how he reacted when Xavier University-Kinaadman released the results of a previous survey about a month ago. The congressman had acknowledged the results of the March survey, and said it prompted him to work harder in his campaign.

But Rodriguez questioned the April survey result, calling it “biased, unrealistic, inaccurate, unbelievable, and unreliable.”

He said he suspected the survey result was meant to condition the minds of people, hinting that it was rigged “because one of the candidates for councilors [of Moreno’s group] is an insider and connected with Xavier University.” It was an obvious reference to Ermin Pimentel, former head of Xavier’s Kristohanong Katilingban sa Pagpakabana-Social Involvement Office (KKP-SIO), who is running for councilor under the administration Liberal Party (LP).

Pimentel strongly denied he had anything to do with the Kindaadman survey, and dared Rodriguez to prove that he and other Xavier University academics conspired.

“Dakung bakak ug produkto sa iyang pagkataranta,” said Pimentel of Rodriguez’s allegation.

Pimentel told the Gold Star Daily that he went on leave on the first day of local campaign period even as he pointed out that he could have emerged as a leading candidate for councilor in the 2nd District if the result was rigged. “Medyo apeke pa man ko,” he said.

He challenged Rodriguez to go to Xavier University president Fr. Roberto Yap, and directly ask the Roman Catholic priest about the Kinaadman survey.

Rodriguez said he found the survey results “very unrealistic and inaccurate” given Moreno’s wide lead compared to the March survey results.

“Dili kini matuohan kay ang survey grabe kaayo ang difference ni Mayor Moreno og sa ako og dayun kang Mayor Emano tungod kay sa last survey, statistical tie man kami,” he said.

He also questioned the results of the survey in the 2nd District that showed Moreno’s candidate for congressman, ex-councilor Cabanlas, ahead of his young brother Maximo Rodriguez Jr., representative of the party list Abante Mindanao (Abamin).

The Abamin representative called latest survey results “rigged, unbelievable, next to impossible, and meant to favor a certain political group that is in power.”

The elder Rodriguez said he could not believe that Moreno’s candidate for councilor, Dr. Gaane, would beat incumbent councilors Teodulfo Lao and Enrico Salcedo in the race for city council seats in the 2nd District. Gaane took the lead in the Kinaadman survey.

“Dili nato kini touhan kay para kini sa ‘Team Yellow.’ Diha ra man kini siguro gikuha sa Carmen o gihangad langit kini nga survey,” Rodriguez said.

He said his group asked for copies of the survey per barangay but the Xavier University group “refused” to give the details.

“Wala sila’y gipakita nga data sa matag-barangay. So, asa man lugar kini gikan nga resulta?” asked Rodriguez.

Meanwhile, Councilor Lourdes Darimbang, a candidate for congresswoman in the 1st District, accused the Xavier University research group of conspiring with the Liberal Party candidates in setting the stage for cheating in Monday’s elections.

“The survey is a very clear pro-Moreno survey team whom I suspect aimed to justify that a cheating is bent to make (sic). For me, I find Kinaadman survey team no longer trustworthy, questionable and unreliable. Its purpose is to mindset the public of it’s possible cheating by the present local administration party (sic),” Darimbang said.

Councilor Leon Gan of the Padayon Pilipino said the results of the Kinaadman survey “are not the final results” of the May 9 elections.

“Let’s wait for the final result of the elections. It’s just a survey,” said Gan.

Moreno, for his part, said the survey results were a “vindication.”

“People have now realized nga kanang pagbabag sa city council has been a great disservice and betrayal. Public office is a public trust,” he said.

In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, Moreno said the survey only served as a guide and that “we still consider this a tight contest.

“The Team OKKE and the campaign team are now more inspired and determined to double our efforts to gain complete and lanslide victory on election day.”