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Biased survey
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Posted on Sep 28 2005
I would like to congratulate the students of PSS for involvement in the election process. It is heartening to see our youth participating and exercising their democratic rights and civic duties. We should all be proud of our up-and-coming generation of leaders.
However, being a citizen who also wants to make an informed choice on Nov. 5, I am dismayed that none of the news reports regarding the PSS “survey” on the governor’s race bothered to reveal some key facts about this project. The most glaring is who is reported to have been supervising it—Tim Thornburg. Did any of you so-called journalists bother to ask Mr. Thornburg which candidate he works for? If you had, you could have learned that he not only works for the Hofschneider-Apatang ticket but is reported to have drafted the platform for these two. Did anyone look at whom he worked for prior to joining PSS? If you had, you would have learned that he worked for none other than Tom Pangelinan, a staunch supporter of the Hofschneider-Apatang camp—first in the House of Representatives and then in the Department of Land and Natural Resources.
Once these simple facts are revealed to the public, it explains why the “survey” results showed that the Hofschneider-Apatang team was leading—it was because Tim Thornburg ran the survey for these two candidates. Who else could possibly win in such a “survey,” headed as it was by one of the very teams running?
This is blatant misuse of both the media and the public’s trust. Mr. Thornburg, an employee of the PSS, is bound by the same ethical rules and election laws as all other employees. The simple rule is this: You cannot use your public position to advance a political party or candidate. So, the next question is, who will take the appropriate action to hold Mr. Thornburg accountable?
Sid Kani
Tanapag Village
