With their message of “aayusin ang gobyerno para maayos ang buhay ng mga Pilipino” (fix the government to improve the lives of Filipinos) now gaining adherents among the thinking electorate, the partnership of Partido Reporma chairman and standard-bearer Panfilo “Ping” Lacson and running mate Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III has just gotten stronger.
Independent polling firm Issues and Advocacy Center (The CENTER) made this assessment in its latest “Pulso ng Pilipino” pre-election survey, which saw Lacson rising to third place in the 2022 presidential race and his tandem with Sotto still at second, as both aspirants kept their momentum to inch closer against their toughest political rivals.
The long-time public servants have solidified their place as a trusted duo in the nationwide opinion poll conducted between December 6 to 12, showing that the Lacson-Sotto reform agenda has left a mark among Filipinos who want to see genuine change in their government over the next six years.
The non-commissioned survey, which asked 1,200 respondents who are all registered voters, revealed that the Lacson-Sotto tandem gained four percentage points to 25 percent from the previous poll conducted last month.
The CENTER attributed this uptick in their numbers to the “probity and propriety” of the Lacson-Sotto campaign as more and more Filipinos are now leaning towards candidates who only stick to the issues and frown upon dirty politics.
Individually, Lacson has overtaken Vice President Leni Robredo for third place among the preferred presidential candidates, improving to a 13-percent rating from the previous survey conducted last November 16 to 22, according to Ed M. Malay, director of The CENTER.
“As it is, only three candidates have come up with clear programs, among them is Sen. Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson who has come forward with a message telling the people ‘Ayusin Natin ang Gobyerno, Aayusin Natin Ang Buhay Ninyo’ and this seemed to be gaining adherents among the citizenry looking for some sense in the present situation the country is in right now,” Malay said in his brief for the latest poll.
With five months to go before Election Day, Malay said this could only mean “that the electorate today have a clear distaste for such dirty politics as what we have so far seen since the campaign season began,” the reason why the ratings of the veteran senators are steadily rising.
The survey firm also noted that Lacson has done what politicians running for national office such as the presidency should do: “be armed with a message even before they step into the arena of public opinion for the simple reason that the message defines what the candidate stands for.”
“Regardless of whether the electoral process can be manipulated or not, candidates must let the voters into their mind tunnels, so the voters can see what they represent,” Malay added.
Meanwhile, Sotto, the president of the Nationalist People’s Coalition who is seeking the vice presidency in tandem with Lacson, is firmly in front of the VP race with a higher rating at 44 percent this month. This is one percent higher than his “Pulso ng Pilipino” survey score in November, and eight percent clear of the candidate in second place.
The Lacson-Sotto tandem has used Partido Reporma’s “Online Kumustahan” platform to go around the country and dialogue with residents, leaders and organizations of various cities, presenting their reform agenda in full while listening to the problems and needs of Filipinos from all walks of life.
The duo, who have a combined 83 years in public service and 42 years of legislative experience in the Senate, will hit the road again this weekend as they visit La Trinidad, Benguet and Lingayen, Pangasinan.