Bong, Jinggoy keep lead in Senate race – Pulse

MANILA, Philippines – A recent survey by Pulse Asia that was released yesterday showed that Senators Ramon Revilla Jr. and Jinggoy Estrada remained as the top contenders in the senatorial race, with only nine days before the May 10 elections.

The latest survey also showed that only 18 of the 61 senatorial candidates have statistical chances of winning Senate seats if the elections were held during the survey period conducted from April 23 to 25.

Revilla was the top pick in the survey with 52.8 percent, which translates to a statistical ranking of 1st to 2nd places, while Estrada got 50 percent for a statistical ranking of 1st to 3rd places.

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago got 47.9 percent with a ranking of 2nd to 3rd places.

Sharing 4th to 6th places were Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile (40.6 percent), former Senate president Franklin Drilon (38.4 percent), and Sen. Pia Cayetano (38.1 percent).

Ranked 7th to 9th are former Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) chairperson Vicente Sotto III (32.3 percent) and former senator Sergio Osmeña (32.2 percent).

Former National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) director general Ralph Recto landed in 9th to 10th places with 30.1 percent.

Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. got 27.7 percent for a statistical ranking of 9th to 10th places.

The other possible winners are Bukidnon Rep. Teofisto Guingona III with 23 percent, occupying the 11th to 15th places; Sen. Manuel Lapid, 21 percent (11th to 18th slots); Akbayan party-list Rep. Riza Hontiveros-Baraquel, 20.2 percent (11th to 18th places), and businessman Jose de Venecia III, 19.6 percent (11th to 19th).

Also included in the list of probable winners were lawyer Gwendolyn Pimentel, 19.2 percent (11th to 20th), former Cavite Rep. Gilbert Remulla, 18.7 percent (12th to 20th), Col. Ariel Querubin, 17.5 percent (12th to 20th), and Muntinlupa Rep. Rozzano Rufino Biazon, 17.3 percent (12th to 20th).

Pulse Asia said the biggest gainers were Baraquel who increased her ratings by 8.5 percentage points and Querubin with 7.3 percentage points in the latest survey.

There is a slight improvement in the overall voter preference for Osmeña (+4.3 percentage points) while electoral support for Cayetano declined by about the same margin (-4.6 percentage points).

The other probable winners in the senatorial elections registered only marginal changes in their respective voter preferences during this period, Pulse Asia said.

Meanwhile, the survey found that only three in 10 Filipinos have a complete senatorial slate (37 percent) with only a few days left before the May 10 polls.

“Overall, Filipino registered voters are naming a mean of seven and a median of eight out of a maximum of 12 of their preferred candidates for senator,” Pulse Asia said.

The survey also showed that 9.1 percent of voters do not express support for any of those running for senator.

The survey used face-to-face interviews of 1,800 representative adults 18 years old and above.

It has a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points. –Helen Flores (The Philippine Star)