A video on YouTube and Facebook (FB) claims that SAGIP Party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta emerged as the top contender in a senatorial survey after being endorsed by former president Rodrigo Duterte. This is misleading.
The “survey” being referenced in the video was not done by local research and opinion polling firms. It was conducted by an FB page which said the results were unofficial and only reflected the opinions of its followers, and not the electorate.
Uploaded on Oct. 18, the video bore the headline:
“Matapos I-ENDORSO ni PRRD| MAROCLETA NAG NO.1 sa 2025 SENATORIAL SURVEY| ABALOS, PACQUIAO LAGLAG NA
(After being endorsed by PRRD| Marcoleta got No.1 in the 2025 senatorial survey. Abalos, Pacquiao fell off the list).”
Its thumbnail also carried a graphic of the said poll, showing that Marcoleta ranked first among 24 other senatorial candidates.
At the 3:46 mark, an anonymous narrator said:
“Isinagawa ng Archlight ang nasabing official survey kung saan tinanong nila ang mga botante na kung ngayon mangyayari ang halalan, sino ang kanilang ibobotong 12 senatorial aspirant (sic) sa darating na 2025 midterm election.”
(Archlight did the official survey where they asked voters if the polls were held today, who are the 12 senatorial aspirants they will vote for in the coming 2025 midterm election.)
Archlight, which describes itself on FB as a video creator, wrote in an Oct. 18 post that their poll was “not an official survey, but rather a reflection of the senatorial preferences of Archlight Followers.” The page conducted an online poll among its FB broadcast channel members a day earlier.
According to the Pew Research Center, high-quality polls practice transparency and ensure representation. Reputable pollsters provide clear, detailed explanations about how the poll was conducted and by whom, and have procedures to ensure that the poll represents the public.
Marcoleta ranked 39-48 in a September Pulse Asia pre-election survey with a 3.3% voter preference. Meanwhile, his name was not included in the Social Weather Stations survey commissioned by Stratbase Consultancy that same month.
The misleading video circulated about a week after the filing of candidacies for the 2025 elections closed on Oct. 8. Marcoleta put in a bid for senator, running as an independent.
Uploaded by YouTube channel Showbiz Fanaticz (created Nov. 9, 2017), the video has received 207,132 interactions. FB page Ulat Bayan (created Aug. 21, 2022 as News Info Ph) also posted the misleading video which garnered 6,917 interactions.
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(Editor's Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)
