Rizal, Bonifacio and Aquino lead poll on genuine heroes

Dr. Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, and Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. are the top three people considered by Filipinos as “genuine” heroes, a survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) revealed. The SWS survey, released Friday, was conducted from March 4 to 7, 2011. Respondents were asked the question, “Sino-sino po ang mga taong kinikilala ninyong tunay na bayaning Pilipino? Maaari po kayong magbanggit ng hanggang limang tao. [ Who are the persons whom you consider a genuine Filipino hero? You can name at up to five persons.]” No list of names were provided to the respondents, the SWS said. The top 3 responses were:

• Jose Rizal (75%)
• Andres Bonifacio (34%)
• Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. (20%)

They were followed by:

• Cory Aquino (14%)
• Apolinario Mabini (14%)
• Emilio Aguinaldo (11%)
• Ferdinand Marcos (5.1%)
• Ramon Magsaysay (4.3%)
• Manuel L. Quezon (3.8%)
• Lapu Lapu (3.7%)

Other names that came up were:

• Melchora Aquino (3.2%),
• Marcelo H. Del Pilar (3.0%),
• Noynoy Aquino (2.9%),
• Emilio Jacinto (2.8%),
• Manny Pacquiao (2.6%),
• Gabriela Silang (2.6%),
• Gregorio Del Pilar (2.2%),
• Juan Luna (1.9%),
• Manuel Roxas (1.8%),
• Joseph Estrada (1.8%),
• Diosdado Macapagal (1.6%), and
• Fernando Poe Jr. (1.6%).

Rizal was named by a majority of Filipinos across geographic areas and social classes, while Bonifacio and Ninoy consistently followed. The SWS said the survey was conducted using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults in Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The survey’s sampling error is ±3% for national percentages, ±6% for area percentages. “The survey item on persons considered to be genuine Filipino heroes is not commissioned, but is done on SWS’s own initiative and released as a public service,” the organization said.
Source: ABS-CBN News