The second leg of ANC’s Harapan 2010 program showcased the country’s Vice Presidential candidates which was broadcasted in local and cable ABS-CBN and ANC networks last Sunday on March 21, 2010.
Apart from Lakas-Kampi-CMD’s Edu Manzano, the candidates present at the forum were Bayani Fernando of Bagumbayan-Volunteers for a New Philippines; Sen. Mar Roxas II of the Liberal Party; Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay of PDP-Laban; broadcaster Jay Sonza of the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan; Senator Loren Legarda of Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) ; and Perfecto Yasay of Bagong Pilipinas.
The Filipino people were glued to their TV sets as they anticipated a widely public interaction between particular candidates, and these participants’ take on certain issues that have been lurking in the air. What made this second leg of the Harapan 2010 more interesting, was the introduction of live poll streaming through audience participation with the use of technology - or what I would like to coin as the 3-Fold Poll.
This 3-Fold Poll consists of the following elements:
- The use of WARS (Wireless Audience Response System)
- The use of SMS via mobile and;
- The use of the Internet
Let’s breakdown each element one at a time.
Wireless What?
WARS (Wireless Audience Response System) technology was introduced for the very first time to the Filipino audience upon watching last Sunday’s Harapan 2010: Vice Presidential Debate. As ANC host Ted Failon explained in a very general manner, 45 individuals lined up to partake in this new automated polling system at four (4) of ABS-CBN’s major stations: Naga, Cebu, Davao and Metro Manila. All 180 participants are then tasked to answer within five (5) seconds whether or not they believed a vice presidential candidate’s speech. The results of which were then instantly broadcasted in percentage measurement. “Naniniwala” or “Hindi Naniniwala” resulting poll bars stretched out or barely breathed as they appeared on our TV screens after each vice presidential candidate had been given their time on the platform. Simple right?
However, there are several points to consider beyond this battle-of-the-bars. What remains to be unclear is the process in which these 180 individuals were chosen to participate in WARS. What was the selection process? Did the network take the first 45 individuals who lined up? Or was it random pickings among all those who lined up at said ABS-CBN stations? Did the network bother to check on these 180 individuals’ political affinity? Was it neutral grounds behind those ABS-CBN doors where these individuals were armed with WARS controllers?
If you would notice in the show, a resulting trend seemed to be apparent towards certain candidates. These WARS generated poll results seem almost too conveniently consistent among 180 random individuals gathered from four (4) different locations in the Philippines.
SMS Popularity Votes
Here is a medium familiar to the Filipino people who comprise of one of the world’s major text messaging capitals. The power of the thumb: never have opposable thumbs been more glorified in all its existence. In ANC’s Harapan 2010: Vice Presidential Debate, the power of SMS or text messaging was utilized to generate more polls:
Senator Mar Roxas – 54%
Jejomar Binay – 13%
Bayani Fernando – 13 %
Perfecto Yasay – 11%
Loren Legarda – 4%
Jay Sonza – 4%
Note that the SMS-generated polls are presented once again in percentage measurement. Fine. But because of the sensitivity of the issue, what bothers me is how the network again failed to mention how many total votes/texts were sent to generate such results. Here are some numbers off the top of my head: there could’ve been a total of 1,000 texters who sent in their votes which would mean that 13% of those 1,000 texters only account for only 130 of the total voters. These 1,000 texters absolutely do not and cannot reflect an entire country’s preference. It’s like generalizing that the entire country comprises of Roman Catholics just because the Pope visited.
Solo Chat Batting Online
The last of the 3-Fold Poll, the network’s Harapan 2010 official site hosted a temporary chatroom simultaneous with the live broadcast of the vice presidential debate (chatroom can no longer be accessed).
Speaking of access, I personally had a very difficult time getting in to the said chatroom. I tried logging in several times but to no avail. In desperation, I even restarted my PC but still to no avail. In frustration, all I could do was watch a flurry of pro-Roxas messages flood the chatroom. It was an oddly Mar-dominated environment. Most, if not all the users in the chatroom seemed to be Aquino-Roxas loyalists. The public can attest to this if they, just like me, tried to join in on the chat.
Word on the street is, only Roxas’ camp was aware of the Harapan 2010 chatroom. The Bayani camp didn’t know about this said chatroom. Neither did the Legarda, Sonza, Binay or Yasay camps. If that were the case, what an opportune and convenient situation for the Roxas camp … or perhaps the staggering absence of the other vice presidential candidate’s loyalists was purely coincidental.
Poll Trolls
As the Harapan 2010: Vice Presidential Debate poll results suggest, it seems like neutrality wasn’t the case for all participating vice presidential candidates in this May’s 2010 elections. It seems like only one person truly benefited from these polls. It’s one thing to tip the scale in one (1) of the 3-Fold Polls, but in all? Either someone up there’s gotta be loving you like their own son or one of the country’s premium networks failed to effectively implement the true essence of a people’s poll.
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