Reelectionist Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez is leading early surveys by a wide margin in the race for the local chief executive post in the May midterm elections.
Based on the RP Mission and Development Foundation Inc. survey conducted from Feb. 1 to 10, Olivarez got 43 percent voter preference against the 15 percent of his rival, former Mayor Florencio Bernabe Jr.
Olivarez, a former city representative of District I, is gunning for his third term under the administration ruling party PDP-Laban. He won the 2013 mayoralty race by a landslide against Florencio Bernabe III, son of the elder Bernabe.
The RP Mission “Halalan 2019 Survey” also showed that incumbent mayors Bobby Eusebio of Pasig City (75 percent), Abigail Binay of Makati City (70 percent), and Imelda Aguilar (68 percent) of Las Piñas City were also favored.
Based on the earlier survey conducted by Publicus Asia Inc., Olivarez was preferred by respondents to earn another term with a 46-percent rating, while Bernabe Jr. on got 10 percent.
The noncommissioned survey of 1,800 respondents in different areas was conducted by Publicus Asia, led by its founder/CEO, political strategist, TV host, and columnist Malou Tiquia.
Elsewhere, Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte is the top choice for Quezon City mayor with 72 percent over Rep. Vincent “Bingbong” Crisologo with only 18 percent in the noncommissioned PR Mission survey covering 2,500 respondents in the National Capital Region.
Former Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno, meanwhile, garnered 45 percent in the survey against incumbent Mayor Joseph Estrada (26 percent) and former Mayor Alfredo Lim (24 percent) in the three-way fight for the capital’s top seat.
Pasay City Rep. Imelda Calixto-Rubiano, sister of current Mayor Antonino Calixto, leads with 53 percent over Chet Cuneta, brother of actress Sharon Cuneta, who got 16 percent in the survey.