Daang Matuwid senatorial bets lead in latest Pulse Asia survey

MANILA, Philippines - Senatorial candidates of the “Daang Matuwid” slate of the ruling Liberal Party (LP) dominated the latest pre-election survey released by Pulse Asia yesterday.

But it was reelectionist Sen. Vicente Sotto III of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) – a shared candidate of the Partido Galing at Puso (PGP) of Sen. Grace Poe and the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) of Vice President Jejomar Binay – who led the survey conducted from Jan. 24 to 28.

Sotto obtained 68.8 percent voting preference for a statistical ranking of first to second place.

He was followed by administration bets former senator and food security czar Francis Pangilinan with 65.6 percent and for statistical ranking of first to third places, former senator and rehabilitation czar Panfilo Lacson with 63.3 percent for second to fifth, and re-electionist Sens. Ralph Recto with 59.9 percent for third to fifth and Franklin Drilon with 58.8 percent for third to seventh places.

Lacson is running as an independent but was included in the administration slate, while Recto – who is running under the LP banner – is also a guest candidate of the PGP.

Following them are former senator Juan Miguel Zubiri with 54.9 percent (fifth to seventh), re-electionist Sen. Sergio Osmeña III, 54.8 percent (fifth to seventh) and former senator Richard Gordon, 48.6 percent (eighth to 10th places).

Zubiri and Gordon are both shared candidates of PGP and UNA, while Osmeña – a former LP stalwart – is running as an independent.

Tied with Gordon at eighth to 10th places are administration bet former justice secretary Leila de Lima, who garnered 48.2 percent, and UNA candidate Sarangani Rep. and boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, 46.9 percent.

Ranked 11th to 13th are administration bets reelectionist Sen. Teofisto Guingona III and former Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros, both with 41.1 percent, and PGP exclusive candidate Valenzuela Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian with 37.7 percent.

Pulse Asia said the 13 candidates, out of 52 who are in the list released by the Commission on Elections as of Jan. 20, have statistical chances of being in the Magic 12.

Trailing them are administration bets former Technical Education and Skills Development chief Joel Villanueva with 31.1 percent for 14th to 15th places and former Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority Mark Lapid, 27.2 percent for 14th to 18th.