The Commission on Elections has directed survey firms to submit lists of their subscribers and clients “for a more transparent process in the generation of such survey results.”
Comelec Commissioner Sixto Brillantes Jr. told reporters on Tuesday that the commission has given pollsters Social Weather Stations and Pulse Asia three days to turn over data on who commissioned pre-election surveys published since February.
The information will not be made available to the public, though. Brillantes says in a Sun Star Online report that “what will be given to us will be kept in confidence.”
The Comelec said paying to have surveys done is part of a candidate’s campaign spending and should be reported to the commission.
The polling firms have previously said subscribers cannot influence survey results since they “do not have access to questionnaires distributed to respondents.”
