In the on-going “Munggo Survey 2016”, that is, in Nueva Ecija. The “Munggo Survey” is being conducted by the Pandayan Bookshop in its branches in this province and 75 others in Luzon.
“A munggo seed is given by the cashier to each of the customers as he or she pays for the items bought,” Brian Alvarez, store executive here, said. “Those who came in, but did not buy anything, are given a munggo seed each by the security guard and are politely asked to participate in the survey,” he added.
They are requested to drop the seed in the plastic water bottle bearing the name of his or her candidate of choice for president whose respective facial caricatures are posted on the wall.
Above the bottles are the words: Bumoto ayon sa prinsipyo (Both according to (your) principle).
And the instruction given is: Ihulog ang munggo sa tapat ng kandidatong karapat-dapat sa tingin mo (Drop the munggo (seed) opposite the candidate whom you view as worthy.) The survey will end on April 30, Alvarez said.
As of Sunday, the measurement of the 500 milliliter water bottles, showed Duterte, 52 centimeters; Poe, 50 cm; Miriam Santiago, 20 cm; Jejomar Binay, 7 cm; and Mar Roxas, 5 cm. The bottles, lined-up and glued in a wooden plank at the entrance of the bookshop, are in 350 ml contents each. A security guard-watcher has been posted to prevent possible “cheating” or “trampling” of the survey.
In the Cabanatuan City branch: Duterte and Santiago are tied at 33 cm; Poe, 27; Binay, 8; and Roxas, 7.
In the Guimba branch: Poe, 11; Duterte, 10; Roxas, 7; Binay, 4; and Santiago, 3. In the Talavera branch: Poe, 85; Duterte, 70; Binay, 35; Roxas, 25; and Santiago, 18.
The “Munggo Election Survey”, Alvarez said, was the idea of Gerardo Cabochan Jr., the head of the Cabochan Group of Companies which run the bookshop.
It is carried in the 80 branches of the bookshop in Luzon.
“Katuwaan lang daw po. Pero para malaman na rin ang pulso ng bayan kung sino ang gusto nilang presidente (It was for fun. But it is also meant to get the pulse of the public about its preference for the next president),” said Alvarez who has been working with the company for 12 years.
It is called “munggo” survey because of the use of the seeds of this legume, which is familiar to everyone, in selecting the candidates of customer’s choice for president.
“Munggo” is internationally known as mung bean (Vigna radiata). It is commonly prepared as a savory food called “ginisang mongo” (mung bean soup) or when sprouted into “togue”, it is used for “lumpiang togue” or “ginisang togue”. For snack, there is also “hopiang munggo”.
“Each of the bottle’s content in the 80 branches will be counted and forwarded to the bookshops’ main office in the City of Valenzuela in Bulacan,” Alvarez said. “The results will be published in the company’s newsletter,” he added.
In the 2004 run-up to the elections’ munggo survey here, Fernando Poe Jr. was a run-away winner but it was candidate Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who won the elections, In 2010, it was then Sen. Manny Villar who captured the customer’s votes, followed by Pres. Benigno Aguino III and ex-Pres. Joseph Estrada.
