It was a case of a “gatecrasher accorded a warm welcome by a solicitous host.”  This was the reaction of V-Gov. Julius Ceasar Herrera when he placed third in a survey where his name was not even included. Herrera'as gut feel came after it was announced that the camp of Cong. Edgar Chatto, Herrera's rival for the gubernatorial showdown commissioned a survey under the auspices of the Holy Name University Research Center. In the supposed survey, Herrera was waylaid to poor third behind Cesar Montano while Chatto led the three-man pack. A barangay official from Buenavista town solved the mystery on why Herrera, who is leading the race in other surveys, lagged behind Chatto and Montano in a survey conducted by the prestigious Holy Name University. “We confronted the one who conducted the survey because the choices were limited to only two names and our choice, Vice Gov. Herrera, was not in the list,” the barangay official told Herrera.

The vice-governor said he is amazed that he still broke into the rankings when he was not supposed to be in it, making him a gate-crasher in the survey. “That's the best piece of news I have received in a long time,” Herrera said in jest. The vice-governor said he would like to personally thank the respondents who comprised the 19% who insisted in giving his name as their preference even though his name was deliberately excluded. Herrera nevertheless maintained that the supposed results “does not mean anything”. “The only thing it accomplished was the expenses incurred in commissioning the survey,” he said while acknowledging that Chatto can afford the expenses incurred for the survey. Herrera said his rival, who has consistently refused to divulge the list of recipients of his pork barrel allocations, is widely perceived as a “moneyed” candidate. “The real survey that matters is on election day. That is what we are all after,” he added.

The vice-governor stressed that the campaign period has not even began. “If this was boxing, the bell has not yet sounded for the first round. To declare a winner is therefore premature if not useless,” he added. Herrera said he is not concerned about popularity. “People who are popular oftentimes are those who want to play safe. They do not take stand on major issues. They do not want to dirty their hands and just pass on the responsibility to others,” he added. Herrera said doers are more comfortable aiming for results. “They want to attend to people's problems and solve them away from the media because that is what sincere public service is all about,” he added. The vice-governor said the election period will be a day of reckoning. “It will be the time when people will confront their candidates about what they did during their terms in office. It is the time when they demand an accounting for the funds that were spent under their discretion and the positions they took on major issues,” he added. (PR)