BAGUIO CITY – More than seventy percent of the city’s electorate prefer to have God-fearing leaders to govern the affairs of the city based on an issue-based survey conducted last April 18-22, 2016 in the 128 barangays of the city.
The Manila-based Philippine Social Beat conducted the survey in the city through a face to face interview of the 3,206 respondents or 2 percent of the voting population of every barangay with a margin of error of 1.67 percent.
When the respondents were asked on what will be the three major traits that a leader of the city should possess, 73.67 percent want to have God-fearing leaders, 29.60 percent want humanitarian leaders, 24.73 percent want environmentalist leaders, 19.62 percent want nationalistic leaders, 18.93 percent prefer compassionate leaders, while 12.4 percent prefer enthusiastic leaders.
When asked on their basis in choosing leaders of the city, 54.18 percent of the respondents claimed they will select the city’s leaders through their platforms and advocacy, 52.30 percent will bank on the educational attainment of the leaders, 40.95 percent will look into their work experience while 19.71 percent will decide on whom to vote based on their religious and social affiliation.
When asked on the three major issues that is confronting the city today, 59.08 percent of the respondents claimed that one of the city’s major problems today is traffic congestion followed by unemployment which got a rating of 56.66 percent, corruption and abuse of power – 38.68 percent, environmental degradation – 31.32 percent, poverty and hunger – 30.10 percent, lack of success to education – 30.4 percent among others.
Catholic and protestant leaders in the city welcomed the decision of the city’s electorate to base their decision in selecting the new set of leaders of the city on their conviction to the Almighty Father as God-fearing emerged as the principal trait of politicians to be able to lad the city to greater heights.
Bishop Carlito J. Cenzon believes that God-fearing leaders will become good leaders because they will always value the importance of morality, thus, they will be able to refuse the temptations of corruption in the bureaucracy once they will be elected into public office and that their interest will be primarily to serve the interest of the greater majority of the people.
Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan cited the results of the issue-based survey reflects the awareness of the voters on the traits possessed by the previous and incumbent leaders as well as the issues that must be given preferential attention by the incoming leaders of the city, saying that the survey just confirmed what the city had been prioritizing in the implementation of programs and projects that will help improve the state of the city for the benefit of the present and future generations.
Local residents claimed they are already aware of who are the performing leaders who will be able to attend to the priority concerns of the city government and that they are already tired of character assassination which is being waged by some quarters to advance their own personal and political interests.
By HENT