SWS to be invited to House fake news probe for non-inclusion of lawmaker in survey

The Social Weather Stations (SWS) will be invited to a House inquiry into the proliferation of fake news online over its non-inclusion of a lawmaker's name in its senatorial preferences survey.

This was after Sagip Party-list Representative Rodante Marcoleta raised a concern Tuesday during the TriComm hearing of the Committee on Public Order and Safety, Committee on Information and Communications Technology, and Committee on Public Information.

Marcoleta said the SWS did not include his name in the senatorial preferences survey for the third quarter of 2024, but included those of persons not running for the Senate or are unknowns. This resulted in him ranking 36 or at the tail end of the list.

“Nag-survey po sila ng (They conducted a) third quarter survey last year and they listed 40 names, senatorial preferences. There are 40 names listed in that list. Meron pong relatively unknown, at meron pong sikat pero hindi naman nagpahayag po ng pagtakbo bilang senador. Malinaw po na hindi nila ako nilagay sa 40,” Marcoleta said.

(There were relative unknown names and those known did not signify they would run as senator. It is clear they excluded me from the list of 40 [names].)

“'Yung outcome po nila, number 36 po ako. Paano pong mangyayari na ako po ay naging number 36 eh hindi naman ako kasali sa Top 40? Ito po ‘yung klase ng mga manipulative surveys na pinaniniwalaan po ng mga tao. Sana po hindi na lang nila ako sinama,” Marcoleta added.

(The outcome was that I ranked 36th. How can that be when I am not even on the Top 40 list? These are the kinds of manipulative surveys that people fall for. They should not have included me.)

Marcoleta identified the unknowns on the list as labor leader Jerome Adonis of Kilusang Mayo Uno, Jocelyn Andamo of Filipino Nurses United, Ronel Arambulo of fisherfolk group Pamalakaya, Mimi Doringo of urban poor group Kadamay, Roy Cabonegro of Makakalikasan, Mody Floranda of transport group PISTON, and Danilo Ramos of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas.

He then identified the known names included in the said survey, but are not running for the Senate in the 2025 polls. These include: former President Rodrigo Duterte, former senator Franklin Drilon, former vice president Leni Robredo, and Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro.

"Sino po ba si Adonis? Andamo? Doringo? Floranda? Representative [Ace] Barbers, may kilala ka ba rito? Hindi ko naman po pinagpipilitan na isama nila ako rito. Ang problema, 'di ako kasama pero sa resulta, number 36 ako. Hindi po tama ito. Dapat po i-address ito,” Marcoleta said.

(Who is Adonis? Andamo? Doringo? Floranda? Representative Barbers, do you know any of these people? I am not insisting that they include me here. The problem is I am not included in the preferences but based on results, I am ranked 36th. This is not right. This should be addressed.)

Sta. Rosa, Laguna Representative Dan Fernandez agreed with Marcoleta and vowed to invite SWS for Day 2 of the House probe.

“Congressman Marcoleta has a point,” Fernandez, chairman of the House Committee on Public Order and Safety which is one of the three House panels conducting the inquiry, said.

GMA Integrated News contacted the SWS to get its comment but it has yet to receive a statement as of posting time. —KG, GMA Integrated News