SWS: Noynoy still leads, but Villar closing in

MANILA, Philippines – Nacionalista Party president and standard-bearer Sen. Manny Villar has again narrowed the lead of his rival in the presidential race from 19 to only 11 percentage points in a span of three weeks, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) Special December 2009 survey results showed.

The SWS survey conducted last Dec. 27 to 28 showed that Villar’s ratings increased by six points from 27 to 33, inching closer to Liberal Party (LP) candidate Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, who obtained a 44 percent rating from 46 percent in the survey last Dec. 5-10, 2009.

The Special December SWS survey showed the gap between Villar and Aquino narrowing to only 11 points from the 19-percentage point difference in the last Dec. 5-10 survey.

In the same survey, former President Joseph Estrada retained his third slot but shed one percentage point to 15 percent from his previous 16 percent.

Coming in fourth is administration bet Gilbert Teodoro, a cousin of Aquino, whose survey performance remained flat at five percent, similar to his Dec. 5-10 rating.

Television evangelist Eddie Villanueva’s ratings also did not move at one percent.

Sen. Richard Gordon scored 0.5 percent from his earlier 0.9 percent while Sen. Jamby Madrigal and independent John Carlos de los Reyes tied with 0.4 percent each from their previous 0.2 percent and 0.1 percent, respectively.

NP spokesman and senatorial candidate Gilbert Remulla believes Villar will be able to lead in the surveys in the coming months.

The year-end special SWS survey has a plus/minus 2.2 percent margin of error and is said to have been privately commissioned by House Minority Leader San Juan Rep. Ronaldo Zamora, a known Villar supporter.

Nobody’s puppet

Under criticism over his political affiliation with the administration party, former defense chief and Lakas-Kampi-CMD standard-bearer Gilbert Teodoro stressed that he is nobody’s puppet as he vowed to push for what is good for the Filipino people once elected president in the May polls.

Teodoro issued this statement before students of various universities in Metro Manila to show young voters and the general public that he is his own man.

“I am no one else’s facsimile. I make my own decisions and no one can dictate upon me,” Teodoro told a students’ forum during a campus visit at the Technological University of the Philippines (TUP).

Meantime, Lakas-Kampi senatorial bet Raul Lambino told reporters during a news forum at Rembrandt Hotel in Quezon City that contrary to reports in some dailies (not The STAR) that there is an exodus of Lakas members, the party is getting stronger as the campaign period nears.

“There is no sign of exodus among Lakas members at the grassroots level,” he said.

The reported exodus of Lakas members is just a rehashed issue which has been floated during the merger of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD last year, he said. –-Christina Mendez (The Philippine Star) with Jaime Laude, Perseus Echeminada, Ric Sapnu