INDEPENDENT presidential candidate Senator Grace Poe regained the top spot in the latest voter preference survey, the Pulse Asia reported on Saturday.
According to the survey, conducted from Jan. 24 to 28 among 1,800 registered voters with biometrics nationwide, 30 percent of Filipinos said they will vote Poe to be the next President.
“The latest Pulse Asia survey is both overwhelming and humbling. It echoes the voice of the people who trust and believe in my capacity to be a leader no matter what hurdles are thrown my way,” Poe said in a statement.
“The Filipinos will always be my inspiration to stay the course and work harder, especially now that the official campaign period is about to commence. I am ready to serve and work to bring the change that the Filipinos deserve,” she added.
The data puts her ahead of Vice President Jejomar Binay of the United Nationalist Alliance with 23 percent while former interior secretary Manuel Roxas II of the Liberal Party and Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte of PDP-Laban tied with 20 percent.
The Binay camp reiterated that the most important survey is on election day and stressed that the election is about poverty, unemployment and hunger and not about surveys.
“This election is about poverty, hunger, and unemployment that persist despite claims of economic growth and the importance of a decisive and experienced president to urgently address these issues,” Atty. Rico Quicho, VP spokesperson for political concerns, said.
As the campaign progresses, the numbers will be fluid but what will be constant for us is the Vice President’s direct contact with our people, Quicho said.
Poe’s running mate Senator Francis Escudero also continued to lead the vice presidential race among classes D and E from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
“Only Senator Poe and Vice President Binay experience marked movements in their presidential voter preferences between December 2015 and January 2016,” the Pulse Asia survey stated.
Across geographic areas and socio-economic classes, Poe is leading among those from Class D (32 percent) from Luzon (39 percent). However, voters in Mindanao support the candidacy of tough-talker Duterte with 48 percent.
In Luzon, both Poe and Binay shared the lead with 33 percent and 32 percent while Roxas led in the Visayas with 32 percent followed by Poe with 26 percent respectively.
Pulse Asia said Poe gained nine additional percentage points while Binay lost 10 percentage points during the period of December 2015 to January 2016. Poe also gained 10 points in Luzon and 11 points in the Visayas.
The pollster said support for Binay’s candidacy declined by 14 points in the Visayas region and 16 percentage points in Mindanao.
“There are no marked movements in the voter preferences of former DILG Secretary Roxas, Davao City Mayor Duterte, and Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago at this time,” the Pulse Asia stated.
Escudero remained the top contender for vice president with 33 percent, followed by Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. with 23 percent. Camarines Sur Rep. Maria Leonor Robredo got 18 percent while Senator Alan Peter Cayetano received 14 percent.
“Electoral support for these candidates remains constant between December 2015 and January 2016,” the pollsters stated.
For the senatorial candidates, on average, Filipinos have 10 preferred candidates for the Senate while more than half, or 56 percent, already have a complete senatorial slate.
“Thirteen out of 52 senatorial bets have a statistical chance of winning in May 2016,” the pollster stated.
Their favored senatorial bets for the 2016 elections are Senator Vicente Sotto III with 68.8 percent, former senator Francis Pangilinan 65.6 percent, former senator Panfilo Lacson 63.3-percent, Senator Ralph Recto 59.9 percent, Senator Franklin Drilon 58.8 percent, former senator Juan Miguel Zubiri 54.9 percent, Senator Sergio Osmeña III 54.8 percent, former senator Richard Gordon 48.6 percent, former justice secretary Leila de Lima 48.2 percent, Sarangani Rep. Emmanuel Pacquiao 46.9 percent, Senator Teofisto Guingona III 41.4 percent, former Akbayan Party List Rep. Risa Hontiveros 41.4 percent and Valenzuela Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian 37.7 percent.
