Noynoy widens lead in Pulse Asia survey

The only son of late former President Corazon “Cory” Aquino appears headed for a landslide victory in next month’s elections, a survey said on Thursday.

Thirty-nine percent of the respondents said that they would vote for Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino 3rd, two-percentage points higher than the previous survey in early April, according to independent pollster Pulse Asia Inc.

“With almost four in 10 Filipino registered voters supporting his bid for the presidency, Sen. Aquino remains the leading contender in the May 2010 elections,” Pulse Asia said.

Tied at second place were a millionaire property developer, Sen. Manuel “Manny” Villar Jr., and former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada with support of 20 percent each.

Villar, who had been regarded as Aquino’s chief rival, saw his support fall five-percentage points, while Estrada gained two points.

Estrada enjoyed the most emphatic win in Philippine electoral history in 1998 when he secured 39 percent of the vote. But his presidency ended abruptly in 2001 amid allegations of corruption and mass street rallies.

The latest survey by Pulse Asia, whose polling is regarded in Philippine politics as among the most reputable, interviewed 1,800 registered voters from April 23 to 25. It said that the poll was its final one before the elections on May 10.

Aquino tapped into a massive outpouring of sympathy over his mother’s death late last year as a springboard for his campaign, despite questions over his meager record as a legislator.

Corazon Aquino led a “people power” revolution that overthrew then President Ferdinand Marcos in 1986, then served as the nation’s president for six years.

Fifty million voters are set to go to the polls on May 10 to choose a replacement for President Gloria Arroyo, who is required by constitutional term limits to step down on June 30.

Support for chosen successor and representative of the ruling coalition, former Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro, remained at just 7 percent, according to Pulse Asia.

Teodoro remained unruffled by the surveys.

In Mandaue City, Cebu, where was campaigning Wednesday night, he said that he would rather be indebted to the 92 million Filipinos than the 2,000 people or owners of the polling firms.

Teodoro, the standard-bearer of the ruling party, Lakas-Kampi Christian Muslim Democrats, decried “too much arrogance” in politics, the reason why the country is not moving forward.”

He disputed the Aquino camp for claiming that the only way for Aquino to lose is for him to be cheated. –AFP and Jefferson Antiporda, Manila Times