We, at the Marketing and Opinion Research Society of the Philippines (MORES), stand by the principle that public opinion is a critical force in shaping and transforming a democratic society.

A commonly used and globally-accepted tool for measuring public opinion is survey research. In the Philippines, the survey research method accepted by the research industry is face-to-face personal interviews with survey respondents.

We believe that through professionally-conducted survey research, the public becomes aware of the opinions and sentiments of their fellow countrymen and, with enabling and responsible media, exercises the right to know.

Established in 1977, MORES is the Philippine’s research industry association composed of marketing research agencies, opinion research agencies, providers of research services providers and research users. We work with our members and other industry stakeholders (such as non-member research practitioners, academe and government) in striving for professionalism and excellence in the practice of marketing and opinion research, including survey research.

MORES’ code of ethics is aligned with that of the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR), the world’s leading association of marketing and opinion research practitioners, as well as that of World Association for Public Opinion Research (WAPOR).

For these reasons, we strongly support the dedication and professionalism of our fellow colleagues in the SOCIAL WEATHER STATIONS (SWS) and PULSE ASIA in the opinion research industry to deliver and disseminate survey research.

The petition to stop SWS and Pulse Asia from conducting and publishing election surveys strikes at the heart of our democratic process because it seeks to curtail our liberty of expression and right to make informed decisions

By the Board of Directors

Marketing and Opinion Research Society of the Philippines (MORES)

The Supreme Court has repeatedly affirmed that the conduct and publication of election surveys is constitutionally protected. The Court has held in SWS v. Comelec that to ban the publication of election surveys "imposes a prior restraint on the freedom of expression" and forms "a direct and total suppression of a category of expression" during the elections. In ABS CBN v. Comelec, the Court also held that "the holding of exit polls and the dissemination of their results through mass media constitute an essential part of the freedoms of speech and of the press." They cannot be banned "totally in the guise of promoting clean, honest, orderly and credible elections."