The Evolution of Political Advertising in the Philippines
The Solution Evolution Navigating the realm of social media and using it as an advertising platform for political campaigns is gaining popularity. Not to mention the rationality and efficiency of delivering a message to potential voters when carrying out an advertising campaign. Proper management of campaigns that have far-reaching political advertisements are a fruit of a proper management of promotions, improper handling could potentially lead to a less effective exchange of information between the public voters and political figures. Moreover, a non-skippable ad campaign without a doubt stems from a well-planned procedure such as advocating for publicity, establishing credibility, sparking interest, and redirecting readers to other content and commercial choices. Resulting to paid facebook advertisements being regarded as an effective social media strategy, as a lot of other organizations utilizes it. Blast from the past, according to a study, based on data gathered through October 2021, YouTube channels associated with or owned by Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, a presidential candidate at the time, are becoming more active in the discourse around the previous 2022 elections. Hence, the discovery of news media—along with politicians and government agencies—remains the most popular and recognized actor, followed by YouTube channels that are regarded as “news and politics.” Tiktok, on the other hand, restricts the use of political content in advertisements in any way, including those from political groups and non-political advertisers who intend to express their political opinions. On top of that, TikTok users are allowed to share political content voluntarily as long as it complies with its Community Guidelines– though TikTok does not permit political content to be featured in advertisements. Regardless of the limitations imposed by the platform, to a certain extent. It does not, figuratively, restrict the information dissemination. Certain limitations only apply to the platform’s algorithm, and each one offers the audience with its own kind of promotion. By: Pauline Anacay INFO SOURCE: https://halalan.up.edu.ph/civil-society-movements-as-anti-political-dynasty-champions-an-analysis/ NEWS SOURCE: https://www.rappler.com/philippines/elections/study-says-bongbong-marcos-networks-gain-influence-youtube-election-discourse/
The Art of Political Debate Preparation
THE SUBTLE ART OF PREPARING FOR A POLITICAL DEBATE Did you watch the presidential debate at the last 2022 elections? It’s very interesting to hear the candidates exchange their views about plans and platforms. Such debates help voters to make data-driven choices, as data-driven campaigning enables parties to evaluate their actions, platforms, and gather feedback that previously thought impossible to have a formal discussion over a particular topic and a place to learn about a candidate’s personality. But have you ever wondered how each candidate prepared themselves for a political debate? Well, we have a list that might interest you, here are the steps to prepare for a Political Debate: Prepare thoroughly! – Devote sufficient time to studying. Study your agenda, study your local papers, and most of all, study your opponents. Also, think of how you will respond and how you will say it will help you during the debate. Engage in mock debates and agree on a general strategy, main points to discuss, rhetorical responses, soundbites, and surprises (you never know!). Spend some time thinking alone and rest properly beforehand. Practice makes perfect – Even if you are an experienced debater, you still need to practice! It is also a good practice to “stand in” for your opponents; basing their past performances and portrayal of an opposing candidate can prepare you for what’s coming. With that being said, don’t focus too much on making sure you practice any possible question and not enough time on the questions that are central and what is most likely to be asked. Always consult your debate advisor. Debate your opponent—not the moderator or the rules – Adhere to the formats, respect the timer when your time is over. For a lot of undecided voters, debates are one of their options to assess a candidate’s character rather than looking at their positions, so be straightforward and direct. Answer candidly and respond civilly. Taking that into account, take care in criticizing the other side. Don’t be overly aggressive; keep a level head all the time. If you ever make a mistake, be sure to admit it quickly. Enjoy yourself and the debate! – There will be a moment during the debate when you want to make a point, but you won’t be sure if it will come out right (in the context you want or if the facts are correct). If you’re in doubt, don’t. The voters will learn about the debate from what they hear in the news or read in the papers, as public perceptions will develop after the debate. So make sure your campaign puts as much effort into winning the debate and what to do after the debate with a focused strategy. It isn’t just enough that you take a stand and engage in the discourse, thus the result of the debate may be able to help them to victory or can affect the campaign. By: Janha Tolentino References: www.politico.com www.rappler.com policyreview.info
Former Anti-graft chief seeks regulated gaming BPOs to offset POGO revenues
The former chief of the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC) said the government can offset the potential revenue losses from the operations of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) by allowing gaming Business Process Outsourcing in export processing zones to enpolsure strict regulations. Atty. Nicasio Conti, former head of PAGC, now chief executive officer of Capstone-Intel Corp. lauded the decision of President Bongbong Marcos’ decision to ban POGO operations as it has led to serious crimes of trafficking, kidnapping, tax evasion and other national security concerns. “The ban on POGOs is a commendable step towards safeguarding our national interests and ensuring a more secure and regulated gaming industry,” said Conti. He added that, “the negative implications of POGOs on our economy and society have been evident, and this decisive action will help mitigate these risks.” Conti was reacting to the concerns raised by Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda on the potential revenue losses from POGO operations. He proposed a strategic shift towards allowing gaming BPO operations in Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA), the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB) and the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport (APECO). These government-attached agencies have separate mandates from PAGCOR. The former cabinet official explained that gaming BPO in export processing zones can be regulated since these areas are considered as “controlled environments.” “The transition to gaming BPOs within designated Economic Zones can offset the revenue loss from POGOs. These zones are equipped to handle such operations efficiently and with greater regulatory oversight,” Conti explained in a press release on Wednesday. Conti said PAGCOR must step up monitoring and regulations, should it decide to issue licenses and allow Philippine Inland Gaming Operators (PIGOs). Earlier, Conti calls for the strict prohibition of gambling advertisements across all platforms to mitigate the social impact of gambling within the country. “If PAGCOR continues to oversee PIGOs, there must be rigorous monitoring and enforcement of regulations to ensure compliance. Additionally, gambling advertisements should be strictly banned in all media to protect our citizens from the potential harms of gambling,” he said.
Former anti-graft official urges strict rules on gambling Ads
The former Commissioner of the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC) is seeking legislative measures to regulate advertisements on gambling, similar to the stringent controls on tobacco and smoking citing damaging impact of addiction to families and individuals. Atty. Nicasio Conti, former commissioner of PAGC, now the CEO of Capstone-Intel Corp. said there is a need to acknowledge the pervasive harm brought by gambling, thus, the need to prevent all its advertisements. “Just as we recognize the devastating health impacts of smoking and imposed strict advertising bans, we must do the same for gambling to protect our society, especially the most vulnerable,” said Atty. Conti in a press statement. He said gambling is parallel to smoking which is widely known for causing severe health problems such as cancer, heart disease, and respiratory issues. The addictive nature of nicotine leads to a high prevalence of smoking-related diseases, placing a significant burden on healthcare systems. Similarly, gambling leads to addiction that can devastate individuals and families. Gambling, he said is also linked to mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal tendencies. He stressed that the economic losses on the two vices are similar. Smoking results in substantial healthcare costs on illnesses and loss of productivity, while gambling causes severe financial problems, including debt and bankruptcy. “The economic fallout extends to increased social services and law enforcement costs due to gambling-related crimes,” said Conti. The social consequences of smoking and gambling are severe. Second-hand smoke endangers non-smokers, while gambling erodes family stability, leading to breakdowns in relationships, neglect of responsibilities, and, in some cases, domestic violence. Atty. Conti emphasized the urgent need for comprehensive regulations on gambling advertisements to mitigate these harms. “Our society has rightly decided to limit the promotion of smoking to protect public health. We must now apply the same principles to gambling,” he stated. He said the government must call on the complete ban on all gambling advertisements and institute awareness campaigns on the risks of gambling. Furthermore, he emphasized the need for strict licensing requirements for gambling operators and rigorous monitoring and enforcement of advertising regulations. “The evidence is clear: gambling, like smoking, poses significant risks to our society,” Atty. Conti said. “By regulating gambling advertisements, we can take a critical step towards protecting our citizens, preserving family structures, and maintaining social order. It’s time for our lawmakers to act decisively and put the well-being of our people first.” **** For more information and interview opportunities regarding surveys, you may contact Capstone-Intel’s Research and Publications Director, Ella Kristina Domingo-Coronel at 09565711298. Capstone-Intel is a high-impact research company that uses innovative research technologies, tools, and methods to convert data and information into breakthrough insights and actionable intelligence outputs. It is committed to helping its clients solve problems, find solutions, grow markets and constituencies, build reputations, navigate risks, manage crises, and be the country’s leading private research and intelligence agency.
Capstone-Intel reminds gov’t: enhance finance technology infra in PH, make digital banking more accessible, secure
Following the recent holiday season, where most Filipinos tend to use online banking for their transactions, it has been proven that digital financing is now at the forefront of convenience among Filipinos and now plays a crucial part in the Philippine economy. This was seen in a survey conducted by Capstone-Intel last November 22 to 29, 2023, which involved about 1,503 respondents across the country where it was revealed that about 9 out of 10 Filipinos are now using finance applications for their daily transactions, highlighting a need to build a safer finance technology infrastructure in the country as more Filipinos embrace digital financing The results show that among the digital finance applications and technologies used by respondents include GCash with 94% of respondents claiming they have and are using the mobile payment service. This was followed by PayMaya with 39%, ShopeePay with 26%, bank applications with 18%, GrabPay with 8%, and other fintech applications with 5%. Meanwhile, only 2% of the total respondents claimed that they are not using any finance applications. Looking at the significance of the data, Capstone-Intel Research and Publications Director Ella Kristina Domingo-Coronel said that small-scale businesses in the country are now utilizing the use of digital financing, and while these are privately owned, the Philippine government has to step up in ensuring that they are safely regulated and enhanced for the safety of Filipino consumers. “As we can see, even ‘sari-sari’ stores now have a digital financing option for their customers. This means that the accessibility and availability are there. That’s why even though these fintech applications are owned by the private sector, the national government has to enhance the country’s finance technology infrastructure, including the measures that safeguard the consumers in order to ensure the safety of Filipinos,” Domingo-Coronel said Domingo-Coronel also highlighted that even though the country has now embraced online financing in some of its processes, the current state of the Philippines’ financial technology still has to be popularized across all demographics and normalize the usage of digital financing in all processes, either for public or private transactions. “While we see a considerable amount of Filipinos using digital financing, we also observe several complaints about the inconvenience of online financing in the country including the sluggish performance of these apps, its unending maintenance that burdens the consumers using online financing to pay their bills, and of course, the struggle with online scams,” she noted. “I would say that we still have to promote the utilization of digital financing in the Philippines in order to weaken the negative outlook of the public about this option and normalize the usage of these fintech applications for us to amplify public confidence on digital financing,” she added. She noted that the COVID-19 pandemic saw the significance of digitizing banking transactions and this occasion led to the advancement of the fintech industry, emphasizing that everyone should capitalize on this development for swift economic mobility in this industry. “It was deemed possible by the pandemic for the Philippines to upgrade their banking processes, that’s why now that we are back to the usual setting, it is high time that we capitalize on this because not only it saves the time of the consumers, the digital era is already here and we have to keep up with the demands of the changing financial economic environment,” she said. ***** Capstone-Intel Corporation is a high-impact research company that uses innovative research technologies, tools, and methods to convert data and information into breakthrough insights and actionable intelligence outputs. It is committed to helping its clients solve problems, find solutions, grow markets and constituencies, build reputations, navigate risks, manage crises, and be the country’s leading private research and intelligence agency.
Presence of Chinese militia ships in Juan Felipe Reef draws negative reception online
A social listening report from Capstone-Intel Corporation revealed that approximately 78 percent of Filipino social media users (combined with likes and angry reactions) are negatively taking the issue of the swarming of over 135 Chinese militia ships in Juan Felipe Reef, adding that Filipinos are mad at how Chinese forces occupy the Philippine territory. Capstone-Intel is a high-impact research company that uses innovative research technologies, tools, and methods to convert data and information into breakthrough insights and actionable intelligence outputs. It is committed to helping its clients solve problems, find solutions, grow markets and constituencies, build reputations, navigate risks, manage crises, and be the country’s leading private research and intelligence agency. Background The Philippine Coast Guard said on Sunday, December 3, 2023, that more than 135 Chinese maritime militia vessels were being watched near Julian Felipe (Whitsun) Reef in the West Philippine Sea. The PCG reported that it first witnessed 111 Chinese ships swarming the disputed waterway’s Julian Felipe Reef, which is a member of the Kalayaan Island Group, on November 13. Based on military monitoring, the number of Chinese militia vessels increased to 125. The Coast Guard reported that by Saturday, over 135 boats had been “dispersed and scattered” in the area. The PCG referred to the increasing number of Chinese boats on the reef as an “alarming development.” The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) stated on Monday that the presence of more than 100 suspected Chinese maritime militia (CMM) ships at the Julian Felipe Reef may be a prelude to reclamation efforts. This is just one of the possibilities, according to PCG spokesperson for West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela, given that a significantly higher number of vessels were seen in the sand bank than in previous months. Methodology Capstone-Intel examined the online presence of Juan Felipe Reef in the country as a topic of discussion over the weekend, from December 3, 2023, to December 5, 2023, by utilizing all publicly accessible posts from social and non-social media platforms in order to gather the sentiments of the public about the recent swarming of Chinese militia ships in the country. Facebook Performance Capstone-Intel found that Juan Felipe Reef garnered a 6,771.1 engagement score for its 149 total post count, which yielded over 24,301 total reaction counts. When broken down, “Facebook like” accounts for 39.7 percent of the total reactions, with 9,641. This was closely followed by “Facebook angry” with 9,504 reactions (39.1 percent), “Facebook sad” with 2,772 (11.4 percent), “Facebook haha” with 1,645 (6.8 percent), “Facebook wow” with 428 (1.8 percent), and “Facebook love” with 311 reactions (1.3 percent). Looking at the data, the majority of “Facebook like” and “Facebook angry” reactions can be attributed to several Filipino social media users getting mad at how Chinese militia ships swarmed the Philippine territory. However, it is also worth noting that, although the majority of the engagements are negative. Although the issue is a national concern, the intensity of the engagement scores reaching the number of users is not enough to spark a comprehensive discourse as it yielded a small number of reach. Online mentions Capstone-Intel likewise revealed that the Juan Felipe Reef received 90 percent negative mentions, and the remaining 10 percent were positive mentions. This means that the article mentions the brand was mostly angled negatively – mostly against the Chinese occupation of the area. It is also worth noting that Juan Felipe Reef received 13,905,855 combined social media reach, while its non-social media reach yielded over 1,134,074 non-social media reach. Top posts In terms of top posts, the top post for Juan Felipe Reef was a news report from GMA News featuring more than a hundred Chinese militia vessels spotted at Julian Felipe Reef (Whitsun Reef), some 169 nautical miles off Palawan, on December 2, 2023. This story received a 2,727.7 engagement score. This was followed by another news report from ABS-CBN News, which reported the “dispersed and scattered” view of Chinese militia ships along Julian Felipe Reef. This post yielded a total of 620.1 engagement score. The third most engaging post for Julian Felipe Reef was another news report from a news agency, namely Rappler, which explores, in video format, the intensity of Chinese militia presence along the Julian Felipe Reef, yielding a total engagement score of 447.1. Looking at the top posts, the main drivers of stories for the issue are news websites highlighting the necessity for concerned government agencies, through their official social media pages, to air their concern regarding the swarming of Chinese militia ships in the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.
Capstone-Intel’s analysis: Senator Hontiveros Earns Public Appreciation Online
Senator Risa Hontiveros is renowned for her adeptness in scrutinizing flawed policies within society and government. Given her active role as a legislator, Capstone-Intel Corporation conducted an analysis of the senator’s online popularity. Upon investigating she is appreciated by the public Capstone-Intel is a high-impact research company that uses innovative research technologies, tools, and methods to convert data and information into breakthrough insights and actionable intelligence outputs. It is committed to helping its clients solve problems, find solutions, grow markets and constituencies, build reputations, navigate risks, manage crises, and be the country’s leading private research and intelligence agency. Background Senator Risa Hontiveros is a political figure of the country. She is a member of the Senate of the Philippines, representing the Akbayan Citizens’ Action Party. Known for her progressive stance on various social and political issues, Hontiveros has become a vocal advocate for human rights, gender equality, and healthcare reform. Throughout her political career, Senator Hontiveros has actively worked towards advancing women’s rights and gender equality. She has championed the passage of important legislation aimed at protecting women from violence and discrimination, such as the Safe Spaces Act (Bawal Bastos Law) and the Anti-Discrimination Bill. Hontiveros has also been a staunch advocate for reproductive health rights, pushing for the full implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law to ensure that women have access to comprehensive healthcare services. In addition to her advocacy for gender equality, Senator Hontiveros has been a strong voice in promoting mental health awareness and support in the Philippines. She has pushed for the passage of the Mental Health Act, which seeks to provide affordable and accessible mental health services to all Filipinos. Hontiveros recognizes the importance of addressing mental health as a crucial component of overall well-being and has been at the forefront of efforts to remove the stigma surrounding mental health issues in the country. Methodology The study was conducted between October 30, 2023 and November 29, 2023. Capstone-Intel utilized its social listening tools to scan publicly available Facebook pages for the keyword “Risa Hontiveros.” In this study, there were no specific demographics or personal data that were tracked. Reaction distribution On Facebook, a total of 213,615 reactions, and 47,658.6 engagement score were recorded. Among these, 96,865 (45.3%) were categorized as Likes, 82,927 (38.8%) as Love, 31,008 (14.5%) as Haha, 532 (0.25%) as Wow, 1,277 (0.6%) as Angry, and 1,006 (0.6%) as Sad. These figures suggest that a significant majority of individuals expressed positive reactions. Top posts The post on Senator Risa Hontiveros’ page received the highest engagement score of 8,086.1. It garnered a total of 36,965 reactions, with a breakdown as follows: 25,413 (68.75%) Love, 11,320 (30.62%) Like, 181 (0.49%) Haha, 34 (0.09%) Wow, 12 (0.03%) Sad, and 8 (0.02%) Angry reactions. The second post on Senator Risa Hontiveros’ page has garnered a significant engagement score of 4,076.3. It has received a substantial number of reactions, with a total of 19,620. The reactions include 9,056 (46.25%) Likes, 10,017 (51.05%) Love, 410 (2.09%) Haha, 39 (0.19%) Wow, 20 (0.10%) Sad, and 8 (0.04%) Angry. The third post, shared by Abante News Online, received an impressive engagement score of 983.4 and garnered a total of 4,369 reactions. The breakdown of reactions includes 3,334 (76.31%) Likes, 101 (2.31%) Love, 852 (19.50%) Haha, 31 (0.71%) Wow, 27 (0.62%) Sad, and 24 (0.55%) Angry reactions.
Smart move? Data shows Filipinos’ positive reception of Smartmatic DQ
A social listening report from Capstone-Intel Corporation revealed that 64.7 percent of Filipinos are receptive to Smartmatic’s disqualification from participating in future elections in the country, with over 94.6 percent of negative mentions across all social and non-social media platforms. Capstone-Intel is a high-impact research company that uses innovative research technologies, tools, and methods to convert data and information into breakthrough insights and actionable intelligence outputs. It is committed to helping its clients solve problems, find solutions, grow markets and constituencies, build reputations, navigate risks, manage crises, and be the country’s leading private research and intelligence agency. Background The technology company Smartmatic was barred by the Commission on Elections from taking part in any future elections in the Philippines despite having supplied the poll body with automated voting equipment for 15 years. The seven-member Comelec panel voted 6-1 to forbid Smartmatic from participating in any public bids or procurements related to Philippine elections. Unless a judge orders otherwise, Comelec Chairman George Garcia says the commission’s decision is instantly executory. Even though Smartmatic is neither under suspension nor on a blacklist, the Comelec emphasized the importance of preserving the nation’s election integrity. “The commission en banc, in pursuing the instant course of action, recognizes its duty to uphold the integrity of our electoral process,” the Comelec said. The electoral oversight board made it clear that the disqualification order was related to the 2016 Smartmatic bribery scandal and not the 2022 presidential race. Methodology Capstone-Intel Corp. examined the online presence of Smartmatic in the country as a topic of discussion over the month, from November 4, 2023, to December 4, 2023, by utilizing all publicly accessible posts from social and non-social media platforms in order to gather the sentiments of the public about the Smartmatic. Facebook Performance Capstone-Intel found that the Smartmatic garnered a 4,489.6 engagement score for its 514 total post count, which yielded over 18,523 total reaction count. When broken down, “Facebook like” accounts for 64.5 percent of the total reactions, with 11,943. Followed by “Facebook haha” with 4,621 reactions (25 percent), “Facebook love” with 1,460 (7.9 percent), “Facebook wow” with 361 (1.9 percent), “Facebook angry” with 100 (0.5 percent), and “Facebook sad” with 38 reactions (0.2 percent). Looking at the data, the majority of “Facebook like” and “Facebook love” reactions can be attributed to several Filipino social media users supporting the idea of probing the Smartmatic along with its disqualification. Online mentions Capstone-Intel likewise revealed that the Smartmatic received 94.6 percent negative mentions, and the remaining 5.4 percent were positive mentions. This means that the article mentions the brand was mostly angled negatively. It is also worth noting that Smartmatic received 26,358,632 social media reach, while its non-social media reach yielded over 6,131,033 non-social media reach. Top posts In terms of top posts, the top post for Smartmatic was a news report from CNN Philippines, featuring a report that Comelec is now undergoing an investigation regarding the president of Smartmatic meeting with one of the candidates during the 2022 elections, which received a 496.3 engagement score. This was followed by another news report from ABS-CBN News, which reported the disqualification of Smartmatic as announced by Comelec. This post yielded a total of 363.7 engagement score. The third most engaging post for Smartmatic was an official video statement from Atty. Larry Gadon regarding the disqualification of Smartmatic, yielding a total engagement score of 229.9. The top posts indicate that even though a number of social media users are receptive to Smartmatic’s disqualification, the engagement scores of the aforementioned top posts are small enough to produce a wide social media presence.
Finally Free: What does the research say about De Lima’s freedom?
A recent social listening report from Capstone-Intel Corporation revealed that the former senator Leila De Lima’s freedom received a notably high percentage of positive reception from social media users, with more negative mentions regarding her arrest. Capstone-Intel is a high-impact research company that uses innovative research technologies, tools, and methods to convert data and information into breakthrough insights and actionable intelligence outputs. It is committed to helping its clients solve problems, find solutions, grow markets and constituencies, build reputations, navigate risks, manage crises, and be the country’s leading private research and intelligence agency. Background Former Senator Leila de Lima, who has been in detention for almost seven years, has been granted permission by a Muntinlupa court to post bail for her third and final drug case. As a result, she will be released from jail. The court granted De Lima and her co-accused the opportunity to secure their temporary release by posting bail in the amount of P300,000. De Lima is presently confronted with the final drug case, which pertains to her purported participation in the illicit drug trade within the confines of the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City during her tenure as justice secretary. De Lima was exonerated in her first drug-related legal battle in February 2021. In May 2023, after a period of two years, De Lima was acquitted of the second drug-related charge leveled against her. On October 16th, two state witnesses, namely Maj. Rodolfo Magleo and Sgt. Nonilo Arile retracted their testimonies in the final drug case due to moral concerns. Methodology Capstone-Intel Corp. examined Leila de Lima’s online presence for one month, from October 15, 2023, to November 14, 2023, by utilizing all publicly accessible posts from social and non-social media platforms in order to gather the sentiments of the public about the former senator’s detention and freedom. Facebook Performance Capstone-Intel found that in terms of Facebook performance, De Lima amassed a total of 1,120 post counts, leading to a total of 457,547 reaction counts, which garnered an 85,169.3 engagement score. Detailing these reactions, “Facebook like” accounts for the majority of reactions, or 48.6 percent of the total reactions, with 222,174. Followed by “Facebook love” with 179,596 reactions (39.3 percent), “Facebook haha” with 48,864 (10.7 percent), “Facebook angry” with 4,574 (1 percent), “Facebook wow” with 1,638 (0.4 percent), and “Facebook sad” with 702 (0.2 percent). These reactions suggest that the majority of Facebook users in the Philippines positively welcome the freedom from detention of the former senator and vocal critic of the Duterte administration. It is also worth noting that following the 87.9 percent (combined like and heart percentages) positive reactions, the next dominant reaction was “Facebook haha” with 10.7 percent, meaning, it can also be denoted that some Filipinos remain frivolous about the issue or that they are either critics of former senator De Lima. Negative mentions looming over the arrest Capstone-Intel’s data also revealed that following the release of De Lima, over 71 percent of the total mentions regarding the latter’s arrest were mostly negative, highlighting that one of the negative mentions concerning her arrest was that if the Philippines’ justice system really works, the release of De Lima would not take this much time. Top posts Meanwhile, in terms of top posts, a post from De Lima’s known ally, Senator Risa Hontiveros, which featured the former senator’s struggles inside the detention, has received the highest engagement score, with a 4,781.8 engagement score. This was followed by another post from Hontiveros that told the public of De Lima’s release and received a 4,705.6 engagement score. The third most engaging story about De Lima was also from Hontiveros. The post was about De Lima holding a press conference right after she posted bail. This story received a 10,356.0 engagement score.
How the Barangay, SK Elections Were Discussed Online After 5-Year Hiatus
The Philippines has finally conducted its Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections after a five-year hiatus due to various reasons. With that, Capstone-Intel Corporation looked into how Filipinos discussed the recently concluded elections, how engaging the polls were, the distribution of reactions, and influencers who significantly discussed the topic. Capstone-Intel is a high-impact research company that uses innovative research technologies, tools, and methods to convert data and information into breakthrough insights and actionable intelligence outputs. It is committed to helping its clients solve problems, find solutions, grow markets and constituencies, build reputations, navigate risks, manage crises, and be the country’s leading private research and intelligence agency. Background The country has finally held the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections this year after a five-year postponement. The last Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections were conducted on May 14, 2018. This year, the polls were held on October 30, 2023, with 67,839,776 registered voters slated to cast their votes on the said dates. Methodology Capstone-Intel conducted a one-month backtracking of posts across social and non-social media platforms in order to determine how Filipinos reacted to the recently held Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections. The agency utilized its customized social listening tools in order to gather data across all publicly available posts on social media from October 1 to October 31 in order to identify the sentiments of users about the topic. Facebook Performance In terms of the topic’s Facebook performance, Capstone-Intel revealed that there were a total of 9,910 posts on the platform, recording a significant 278,202.4 engagement score. In terms of reactions, these posts received a total of 513,274 reactions. Putting these reactions into specifics, “like” reactions received the majority of reactions with 316,270 (61.6 percent), followed by “love” with 159,223 (31 percent), “haha” reactions with 24,525 (4.8 percent), “sad” with 7,851 (1.5 percent), “wow” with 3,617 (0.7 percent), and “angry” with 1,788 reactions (0.3) Combining the “like” and “heart” reactions, these dominant reactions suggest that the return of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections was highly received by audiences, indicating the voters’ eagerness to participate in the recently held elections. Top sources, influencers In terms of top influencers for the “Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections,” Capstone-Intel data showed that the Commission on Elections was the top contributor for the topic, yielding a total of 73 posts and 89,014.8 engagement score. This was followed by The Philippine Star with a total posts of 110 and 14,874.4 engagement score. Even though the news agency reportedly amassed a higher number of posts compared to the Comelec, they varied in terms of the number of people they engaged. Online mentions On the other hand, Capstone-Intel data also revealed that during the duration of the study, there were 54 percent positive mentions while 46 percent were negative. This data indicates that even though there are many more positive mentions relating to the elections, the remaining percentage also suggests that some mentions and threads regarding the elections were potentially negative sentiments and mentions. Top posts Capstone-Intel likewise noted that most top posts were from Comelec, highlighting that the post with the highest engagement talked about the commission’s digitalization of precinct finder, which instigates a more progressive way to lessen the time of finding polling precincts among the voters. This story garnered a 61,079.3 engagement score. The next top story by the Comelec discussed tips from the commission on how to properly vote for the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections. This received a total of 5,539.3. And lastly, the third most engaging story was about the ecumenical prayer posted by the Comelec for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan aspirants. This alone yielded a 4,094.7 engagement score.
