Former Manila 5th district congressman Amado Bagatsing is the leading candidate for vice mayor of the city for the coming elections, according to the latest survey conducted by iPoll Inc.
The survey was conducted on April 10-15, and participated in by 1,200 residents, who were asked with the question, “Sino ang iboboto mo sa May 13 Election?” (Who are you voting for?)
Forty-nine percent of the respondents said they will vote for Bagatsing to be the next Manila vice mayor. He is the running mate of incumbent Mayor Joseph Estrada, who is seeking a third and last term.
Bagatsing dominated the survey in all six districts of Manila, where he garnered 45 percent in the 1st district, 42 percent in the 2nd, 48 percent in the 3rd, and 47 percent in the 4th district.
In the 5th district, he got 58 percent compared to his rivals Honey Lacuna, the sitting Vice Mayor (35 percent and Elmer Jamias (10 percent and in the 6th district posted 54 percent compared to the 40 percent and 5 percent of Lacuna and Jamias, respectively.
The high ratings obtained by Bagatsing only showed that the Manileños have full confidence on the integrity, credibility and ability of the vice mayoral candidate to hold the second highest position in the city, iPoll noted.
Estrada also topped the same survey with 46.3 percent ratings, compared with his rivals, former vice mayor Francisco ‘Isko Moreno’ Domagoso at 31 percent and former mayor Alfredo Lim at 9.6 percent, while 13.1 percent remained undecided.
Bagatsing’s daughter, Cristal Bagatsing, is seeking another term to represent the 5th district of Manila in the House of Representatives.
Amado’s nephew, Don Juan Alonzo Bagatsing, is also a reelectionist city councilor in the 4th district.
The elder Bagatsing, who started as a lawmaker in 1987, was also the executive director of the Housing and Urban Development Coodinating Council from 2002 to 2007. He is a member of several civic organizations like Philippine National Red Cross (Manila Chapter), Domus Mariae Foundation as Board of Director, KABAKA Foundation (Founder), Chamber of Real Estate and Builders (CREBA), and Manila Polo Club.
His father, the late Ramon Delaraga Bagatsing, was the longest-serving mayor of Manila, from 1971 to 1986.
Bagatsing is supported by four organizations with at least 200,000 members.
These includes the Kabalikat ng Bayan sa Kaunlaran (KABAKA), Asosasyon ng Nagkakaisa at Aktibong Kabataan (ANAK), Asosasyon ng Barangay Kagawad ng Maynila (ABAKA) and Service Investment Good Government Leadership Action (SIGLA).
In the May 2016 elections, then-presidential aspirant and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte supported Amado in the city’s mayoral race.
Duterte said he endorsed the candidacy of Bagatsing because the three-termer lawmaker has earned his trust because of his good track record and accomplishments within the 5th district of Manila.