MANILA — The Marketing and Opinion Research Society of the Philippines (MORES) on Sunday said it is standing behind research firms Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations (SWS), amid doubts on the integrity and accuracy of their pre-election surveys.

In a statement, MORES said that the two firms, being their corporate members, have "resolved to uphold professional standards in delivering the most precise and representative feedback and insights, as evidenced by their reputation and track record."

"MORES supports companies who deliver results with consistency and reliability. Companies such as SWS and Pulse Asia have shown its commitment to use scientific methods to provide public opinion representative of ANY population of interest," it said.

"Surveys nowadays cannot only be good. It has to be excellent," the society added.

Different groups, including a presidential candidate, have questioned Pulse Asia's pre-election surveys.

Presidential bet Sen. Panfilo Lacson had noted his zero scores in Visayas and Mindanao in the final pre-election survey conducted last April.

"Aside from the constant 2 percent survey results that they’ve been giving me for the past few months, now it is zero scores in both Visayas and Mindanao," Lacson had said in a May 3 statement.

National Statistical Coordination Board Secretary General Dr. Romulo Virola also released his analyses on the February Pulse Asia survey, saying that it had "underrepresented" millennial and Generation Z voters and "overrepresented" voters from older generations, such as baby boomers.

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Pulse Asia, in a separate statement, denied accusations of being paid and its work being compromised due to the alleged infiltration of partisan groups.

"Our organization will never submit to any form of material inducement or even intimidation that will make us deviate from or distort accepted social science principles and practice. We have also taken all the necessary safeguards to secure the integrity of our field work against any and all forms of infiltration," Pulse Asia president Ronald Holmes said.

• Pulse Asia: On disinformation regarding our pre-election surveys

Former Sen. Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. had consistently enjoyed the top spot in the said research firm's pre-election surveys.

In the final survey, Marcos and his running mate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, led their respective races for president and vice president.

Pre-election surveys can be considered "snapshots of the moment" and reflect the people's sentiments at the time these were conducted, analysts have explained.

• Marcos tops Pulse Asia's final survey among pres'l bets; Pacquiao overtakes Isko

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