Rivals of Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) standard-bearer Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. are losing their grip even in their so-called bailiwicks, further diminishing their chances of toppling him in the May 9 elections, the latest Kalye Survey results have shown.
“With 67 days before the elections, other candidates are losing preferences in their regions to Senator Bongbong Marcos and Mayor Inday Sara Duterte by huge margins, either by scientific surveys or through our own Kalye Survey summaries. Any deviation from all these numbers would be highly dubious at this point,” SPLAT Communications, which conducts the analytics of these poll summaries, said in a statement.
In the latest Pulso ng Pilipinas, a summation of surveys conducted until February 24, Marcos enjoys a wide lead in regional clusters in the Balance of Luzon that are outside his known bailiwicks of North and Central Luzon, with 45.67 % or 15,365 of 33,646 respondents.
Meanwhile, acknowledging that the labor sector badly needs a shot in the arm in these trying times, Marcos Jr. said he will push for measures that will “immediately redound to a better economic condition” when he is elected after the May elections.
He tempered expectations by saying that any major wage hikes at this time might meet some opposition from business owners considering the current state of the economy, even as the country is still trying to get back on its feet after being crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Also, actor and senatorial candidate Robin Padilla on Saturday rallied the support of the Muslim community behind the UniTeam of Marcos Jr. and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte of Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD).
Padilla, a Muslim convert, told a large crowd at the Manila Golden Mosque and Cultural Center in Quiapo, Manila that he had studied Islam and the history of Bangsamoro when he turned Muslim.
Padilla recalled that Mrs. Imelda Marcos flew to the Libyan capital of Tripoli to talk to the Libyan leader.
“Dun po ipinanganak ang (1976) Tripoli agreement (which ended the fighting in Mindanao). Kasama po sa Tripoli Agreement ang Golden Mosque (in Quiapo) at Blue Mosque (in Taguig, where there is another large Muslim community), at nagkaroon ng mosque sa loob ng Malacanang,” Padilla said.
Padilla added that the accord also called for the establishment of two autonomous regions in Muslim Mindanao, but that so far only one – the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has been set up under the administration of President Duterte.
In the Kalye Survey, Vice President Leni Robredo, who hails from Bicol, placed second with 6,578 or 19.55 %. Isko Moreno landed in third place with 3,041 or 9.04 %.
Manny Pacquiao was fourth with 2,073 or 6.16 % and Panfilo Lacson was fifth with 984 or 2.92 %. The undecided was, however, noticeably high at 16.66 %.
Based on the summation per region in the said cluster, Robredo dislodged Marcos from No. 1 in the Bicol Region with 4,150 or 49.02 % of the 8,466 respondents against Marcos’ 2,021 or 23.87%.
However, Marcos topped the two other clusters, Calabarzon, and Mimaropa. The PFP presidential bet garnered 11,816 or 55.86 % of the 21,152 respondents in Calabarzon; got 1,528 or 37.93 % of 4,028 respondents in Mimaropa.
On the other hand, Robredo was No. 2 in Calabarzon with 2,030 or 9.60%; however, she dropped to No. 3 in Mimaropa with 398 or 9.88%. Moreno was at second place in the said region with his 405 or 10.06%
“If there is one cluster of regions that VP Leni is expecting much-needed votes for her, this is it as this cluster contains her known bailiwick, the Bicol Region,” SPLAT said in its analysis.
“However, based on the data that was just presented, no large-scale support is coming … It does not take a mathematician or statistician to know that there is simply no way for her to even be just at par with the strength of the North and Central Luzon figures of BBM,” SPLAT pointed out.
SPLAT added that the Kalye Survey results validated an earlier result of a “scientific survey” which showed that Marcos is leading in the said region.
Marcos stressed that economic growth is driven by consumer spending and business investment and “it is, therefore, necessary for people to have jobs to be able to spend and pump up the economy.”
Economic experts noted that the business sector is cautiously waiting for the result of the May 2022 elections before venturing on business expansions or before investors pump in new capital.
Marcos emphasized that the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) will be the backbone of his economic program, noting that the majority of the workforce come from this sector.
In closing, Marcos said trade and commerce will play an important role if the country is to obtain economic viability.
