Facebook data: Duterte still most discussed presidential candidate

Two days before the final leg of the PiliPinas Presidential Debates 2016, Facebook shared the conversation data surrounding the Philippine elections.

Based on data collected from November 20, 2015 to April 20, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte remains the most talked about candidate at 68 percent. The number of mentions peaked on April 17, the day a video of him making a rape joke went viral.

Liberal Party bet Mar Roxas placed second at 46 percent of the conversations, followed by Senator Grace Poe at 42 percent of the conversations. Vice President Jejomar Binay was fourth at 27 percent, while Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago was at 19 percent.

Facebook defines conversation as "any post or comment that contains highly specific and targeted keywords or hashtags related to either the election itself, a candidate, a party, or a specific topic that might be playing a large role in the election itself."

They do not distinguish between negative or positive posts. 

Duterte's running mate Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, meanwhile, is the most talked about Vice Presidential candidate at 43 percent.

Senator Bongbong Marcos was second at 36 percent, trailed closely by Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo at 35 percent. Senator Francis Escudero (25 percent), Senator Antonio Trillanes IV (19 percent), and Senator Gringo Honasan (4 percent) rounded out the VP list.

Meanwhile, transparency remains the most discussed issue in the conversations.

The national elections has generated over 17 million conversation and 167 million interactions globally.—JST, GMA News