34% of Filipinos not aware of party-list system —OCTA poll

One third or 34% of adult Filipinos are not aware of the party-list system, according to the results of an OCTA Research survey conducted in July.

Among the 66% who are aware, 5% will not vote for any party list group, the Tugon ng Masa National Survey, conducted on July 12 to 18, 2021, said.    

The results, released on Monday, also showed that 14 party-list groups are assured of at least one seat each at the House of Representatives if elections were held during the survey period.

“Fourteen party-list groups currently represented in the current 18th Congress got at least 2% of voters’ support if elections were held during the survey period assuring them of one seat for every two percentage points support,” said OCTA, an independent research group.

These party-list groups were ACT-CIS, Ako Bikol, Gabriela, Senior Citizens, Bayan Muna, 1PACMAN, Duterte Youth, Amin, Cibac, Magsasaka, Abang Lingkod, Waray, Ang Probinsyano, and A Teacher.

OCTA said in the 2019 elections, only nine party-list groups got more than 2% of the votes. Six of these groups made it to the list in the survey results.

Abang Lingkod and An Waray received most of its support from the Visayas, Amin from Mindanao, and Ako Bicol from Balance Luzon.                                                                         

OCTA noted that the percentages of the party-list groups are based only on the 66% who were aware of the party-list system and who are likely to vote.

Awareness

According to the 1987 Constitution, the party-list system is a mechanism that assures that various sectors of the Philippine society, particularly the disadvantaged groups, have representation in Congress.

Regarding public awareness to the system, OCTA said Mindanao has the lowest percentage of voters who are not aware of the party-list system at 14%, followed by the National Capital Region with 18%.

The NCR has the most percentage of people aware of the system but will not vote for a part-list group with 10%.

At least 54% of voters in Balanced Luzon and 25% in Visayas are not aware of the system.

“This finding is consistent with available data in the Comelec during the 2019 elections which indicates that among those who turned out to vote, only 58.95% voted for a party list group,” OCTA said.

The Tugon ng Masa National Survey is an independent and non-commissioned poll that OCTA conducted all over the country.

OCTA said the survey utilized a multi-stage probability sampling using face-to-face interviews with a sample size of 1,200 respondents aged 18 and above.

The survey asked respondents about their awareness of the party-list system and whether they will vote for party-list groups currently represented in the 18th Congress.

According to OCTA, the survey used a sampling design that allows for a 95% level of confidence with a margin of error at ±3%. —KBK, GMA News