• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Negros Occidental 3rd District Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez and two other Iloilo solons were among the top three performing lawmakers in Western Visayas, based on the survey results conducted by the RP Mission and Development Foundation Inc. (RPMD).
Benitez, who garnered a score of 89.4 percent, is statistically tied with Iloilo 3rd District Rep. Lorenz Defensor (89.7 percent), and Iloilo City Rep. Julienne “Jam” Baronda got 90.3 percent,
The survey was initiated by RMPD to evaluate the performance of all Western Visayas solons, a year after being in office.
Trailing them were Guimaras Rep. Lucille Nava (87.6 percent), Mercedes Alvarez of Negros Occidental 6th district (87.3 percent), and Antique Lone District Rep. AA Legarda (86.8 percent).
Two Negros Occidental solons shared the third position in the ranking, including Rep. Juliet Marie Ferrer (4th district) – 84.5 percent, and Rep. Alfredo Marañon III (2nd district), with a score of 83.9 percent.
The sixth to eighth positions went to Negros Occidental solons, held by Bacolod City Lone District Rep. Greg Gasataya with 74.1 percent, 5th District Rep. Emilio Bernardino Yulo, who secured 72.3 percent, while 1st District Rep. Gerardo Valmayor Jr. garnered a score of 68.6 percent.
The Western Visayas survey, according to RPMD, is a component of its nationwide “Boses ng Bayan” comprehensive evaluation of the performance of all public officials, using face to face interviews, with a total of 10,000 adult respondents.
Its sampling margin of error is +/-1 percent, at a 95 percent confidence level.*
