‘Silent majority’ not so silent anymore, thanks to social media – Palace

President Benigno Aquino III. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – Is President Benigno Aquino III trending? Is he still liked by many?

Proving it is also tech-savvy, Malacañang has been using social networking sites to answer these questions and gauge the people’s sentiments on Aquino and the government.

Asked how Malacañang actually monitors the “pulse of the people,” especially the “silent majority,” Communications Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. on Tuesday, said, “Sa kabutihang palad ay hindi naman ganu’n na ka-silent dahil sa meron tayong teknolohiya ngayon, nakakapagpahayag ang mga pangkaraniwang mga mamamayan sa isang paraan na hindi na dumaan sa filtering.”

(Fortunately they are not that silent anymore because we have the technology where ordinary citizens may express their opinions in a way that it would not be filtered.)

What people post on Twitter or Facebook show their real sentiments, he explained.

“Iyan ang isa sa mga pwedeng gawing batayan, pagkunan natin ng input o feedback,” he said.

(That is one of the ways we can get input or feedback.)

Coloma earlier said that the overall feedback on Charter change was “balanced” based on their monitoring.
Last week, INQUIRER.net asked for a copy of their social media survey on Charter change but was told by Coloma that they would need more time to gather enough or conclusive data.

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