Fake Survey, Real Desperation: Miguel’s Camp Caught Copying Bulacan Survey to Boost Gubernatorial Bid

Days before the elections, the camp of Congressman Peter Miguel and gubernatorial candidate Shine Miguel is facing widespread backlash after publishing a questionable survey post on their Facebook page “South Cotabato Today.” The survey allegedly showing a tight race between Governor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. and Shine Miguel has been exposed as a copy-paste blunder.

The post, which quickly spread online, claimed that Shine Miguel was “gaining ground” and that Governor Tamayo’s numbers were “slipping.” However, keen-eyed netizens and local observers pointed out that the entire content — including the data and even paragraph structure — was lifted almost word-for-word from a March 23 article by RPMD titled “Voter Shift in Bulacan 6th: Racl Leads Survey.” The Miguel camp reportedly just replaced names and locations to suit the South Cotabato context, resulting in what many called a laughable attempt at misinformation.

The backlash was swift and brutal, with South Cotabateños calling the post an insult to their intelligence. Among the reactions:

• “Insulto ito sa talino, at mga nakapag-aral na South Cotabateño. NO to Fake Survey, NO to Fake News. No to Copy-Paste.”

• “Wa silay technical writer? Nangopya nlng gani, sayop pa. Proofread pud uy.”

• “Cong Peter Miguel, ano ni man—Copy Paste?”

• “Resulta sang vote-now-pay-later scam. Pati socmed manager, nagaluya.”

• “Gikopya gid tanan ba, pati typo!”

Worse, the haphazard editing left traces of the original “Bulacan” reference in the metadata, further fueling the public’s ridicule and disbelief.

Local political analysts and watchdogs condemned the post, calling it a desperate attempt to sway public perception. The incident also reignited discussions on the spread of fake political surveys online, with calls from netizens and journalists alike to hold campaign teams accountable for misinformation.

The public is reminded to rely only on surveys from credible and established polling organizations.

With just one day left before the May 13 elections, Governor Tamayo continues to enjoy strong grassroots support and a significant lead, according to ground surveys. As one netizen put it bluntly:
“Kung hasta survey ginakawat, paano pa kaya ang serbisyo?”

Shine Miguel’s camp has yet to issue a statement on the copy-paste issue.