Gordon wins UP system-wide mock polls

Bagumbayan presidential candidate Sen. Richard Gordon is the top choice as the next President of the Philippines according to the recently-concluded system-wide mock elections of the University of the Philippines.

Gordon, a graduate of the UP College of Law class 1975, was elated with the results, stressing that such mock polls challenge the results of pre-election surveys conducted by survey firms.

“I’m happy because this is not a survey, it’s a mock election. And it is in mock elections like this where you can see the real pulse of the voters. This is much different from surveys, where you don’t know who commissioned it, what questions were asked and what was the methodology used,” he said.

With his impressive track record in public office, Gordon was chosen by the majority of the voters from the various UP campuses. Based on the final results of the mock polls titled Botong Isko 2010, which was conducted from March 18-25, Gordon got 1,236 votes (31.23%).

He was followed by Gilbert Teodoro (923); Sen. Manny Villar, Jr. (698); Sen. Benigno Aquino, III (591); Eddie Villanueva (100); Nicanor Perlas (79); Sen. Jamby Madrigal (32); Joseph Estrada (22); JC De Los Reyes (15); and Vetellano Acosta (3); while 259 of the voters are still undecided.

When he was a student of UP College of Law, Gordon topped the UP Student Council Elections in 1969. He is the chairman of the UP Alumni Association-Olongapo Chapter, and was the President of the UP College of Law Alumni Association in 2008.

Furthermore, his achievements had been recognized by the university when he was given the following awards: 1983 Professional Award in Public Administration and the 1997 Most Distinguished Alumnus (highest award) by the UP Alumni Association. 

A member of the oldest and prestigious  fraternity the Upsilon Sigma Phi, he was also awarded during its diamond year the 1993 Luminary Award for Exemplary Achievement in Public Administration and in 2000 the Upsilonian Noble and Outstanding (UNO ) its highest honors, by the Upsilon Sigma Phi Alumni Association.

Gordon has remained an active supporter of the university. As a senator, coinciding with the UP Centennial Celebrations of 2008, he partnered with the University Student Council (USC) for the renovation of the Vinzon’s Hall and provided a P5 million financial assistance to the UP Alumni Association for the restoration and upgrade of the UP Carillon.

Meanwhile, in a separate mock poll, Gordon was chosen by executives of multinational corporations operating in the Philippines as the best person to run the country over the next six years.

He topped a the poll participated in by 35 business executives and diplomats who attended the quarterly roundtable of the Wallace Business Forum in Makati City last March 18.

“There is where we see the big difference between mock polls and surveys. We have to be wary of those paid surveys. We have to put in mind that it is the competence, integrity and track record of the candidates that we must consider in choosing the next leaders of our country,” Gordon said. (30)