SWS: Noynoy 42%, Villar 35%, Erap 13%

MANILA, Philippines – Liberal Party standard-bearer Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III continued to top the list of presidential candidates in the latest survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS), but Nacionalista Party bet Sen. Manny Villar has further narrowed the gap to just seven percentage points.

The SWS poll, commissioned by BusinessWorld, found that 42 percent of Filipinos would vote for Aquino while 35 percent would choose Villar.

The survey, conducted from Jan. 21 to 24, used face-to-face interviews of 2,100 adult respondents.

Aquino’s lead over Villar was 19 percentage points in Dec. 5 to 10 and 11 percent in Dec. 27 to 28.

Before the filing of candidacy papers, Aquino’s lead over the rest of the aspirants was more than 20 percentage points.

He had a 27 percentage-point lead over Villar (Aquino 47 percent; Villar 20 percent) in the Nov. 4 to 8 SWS survey.

A press release issued by the LP yesterday showed that the seven percentage-point difference between Aquino’s and Villar’s ratings translate to about three million votes if all 49 million registered Filipino voters will vote on May 10.

It also pointed out that “the full impact and implication of the Senate C-5 report…had not yet sunk into the consciousness of the voters,” and that “the numbers will still change in favor of Aquino and against Villar.”

Former President Joseph Estrada placed third with a rating of 13 percent while former Defense secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. ranked fourth with four percent.

Sen. Richard Gordon and Jesus is Lord founder Bro. Eddie Villanueva got two percent each.

The other presidential bets received less than one percent of votes. They were Sen. Jamby Madrigal (0.4 percent); Vetellano Acosta (0.3 percent); John Carlos de los Reyes (0.2 percent); and Nicanor Perlas (0.1 percent).

Villar welcomed the latest SWS survey results, saying this gives him more drive to campaign harder for the presidency.

He expects his detractors to resort to more drastic measures to stop him from closing in on Aquino.

“I am happy about the survey that I continue to get good ratings and the margin is getting closer. This is very inspiring for me and my colleagues. This shows that our fellow countrymen are starting to know who we are, what we have done in the past and how we can help in the future,” Villar said.

“This also shows that we are not distracted by the issues being hurled against (me),” said Villar, adding that the C-5 Road issue has been repeated a number of times and the Filipino people may have grown tired of it.

Mar still top choice for VP

The survey also revealed that Sen. Manuel Roxas is still the number one choice of Filipinos to become the next vice president.

Roxas broadened further his lead over his closest rival, with a high 49 percent of respondents choosing him over Sen. Loren Legarda who got a 28 percent rating.

The LP said that Roxas’ 21 percent lead is equivalent to nine million votes if all 49 million registered voters will vote in May 10.

Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay ranked third with 16 percent, followed by former Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Bayani Fernando and former Optical Media Board chairman and actor Edu Manzano, who got two percent each.

“The Aquino-Roxas tandem has been enjoying huge leads in all pre-election surveys conducted by credible polling firms in the country, including university mock polls done in various schools nationwide,” the LP said.

Gibo ally still optimistic

Presidential Adviser for Political Affairs Prospero Pichay, a supporter of Teodoro, said the administration standard-bearer could still beat LP bet Aquino, whose survey ratings are now declining.

Pichay said Aquino is actually facing a growing problem of declining ratings that is to Teodoro’s advantage.

“His (Aquino) ratings have peaked early and that is actually a nightmare for him because he has to maintain that,” Pichay said.

“Second, these survey ratings have to be translated to actual delivery of votes,” he said.

He said the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD has candidates in about 95 percent of the elective posts nationwide while Aquino’s LP was able to field only less than 40 percent.

Pichay said the administration party is fielding only one candidate per congressional district, province, city and municipality – almost all of which have complete tickets – following the merger of the country’s two biggest parties last year, Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats and the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi).

He recalled that in the 2007 senatorial elections, administration bets fared badly as there were two sets of local administration candidates – one from Lakas and one from Kampi – who were busy campaigning against each other.

Dean Nelson Abeleda of the University of Manila’s College of Business Administration and Accountancy also said Teodoro is the next leader that the country needs as he “is intelligent, has experience, is honest, transparent and young. “

Some 800 students from UM have signed up to be part of the National Youth Movement for Gibo, during his recent tour of the school and dialogue with some 1,000 students at the campus’ quadrangle.

Teodoro had also dialogued with some 1,500 students at the La Consolacion College auditorium, where another 600 volunteers signed up.

Villar’s behest loans

Meanwhile, lawyer JV Bautista, a senatorial candidate of the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino of former President Estrada, revealed alleged behest loans of Senator Villar.

Bautista said the beneficiary of the P1.5-billion loan Villar obtained from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas in 1998, when he was still Speaker of the House, was the senator’s Capitol Development Bank, now renamed Optimum Development Bank.

Bautista cited Article XI Section 16 of the 1987 Constitution that specifies the accountability of government officials as reason for Villar’s violation of the law when he tried to secure a loan by virtue of his office as Speaker.

“No loan, guaranty, or other form of financial accommodation for any business purpose may be granted by any government or controlled bank or financial institution to the President, the Vice President, the members of the Cabinet, the Congress, the Supreme Court, and the Constitutional Commission, the Ombudsman, or to any firm or entity in which they have controlling interest, during their term.”

Bautista said Villar is also criminally liable under the ethical standards for government officials and plunder laws. –Helen Flores (The Philippine Star) with Paolo Romero, Delon Porcalla