De Castro tops Pulse Asia 2004 survey

Sen. Noli de Castro emerged as the Filipinos’ top choice in next year’s presidential election, besting former education secretary Raul Roco and action star Fernando Poe Jr., an independent survey showed.

The same survey, conducted from March 29 to April 12 by Pulse Asia Inc., also showed that most Filipinos agreed with President Arroyo’s decision in December to withdraw from the race.

Twenty percent of 1,200 Filipino adults polled nationwide said they would vote for De Castro among a field of 18 candidates. Roco drew support from 18 percent of the respondents.

But Roco, who consistently topped previous opinion polls, could still be the top pick among the electorate.

"It should be noted that given the survey’s margin of error (plus or minus three percentage points), either of the two could actually be the top presidential pick of Filipino voters," it said.

Poe, who is being touted as the opposition’s strongest possible contender although he has repeatedly turned down calls to run, and Sen. Panfilo Lacson, the only opposition bet so far, tied for third place with 12 percent.

Sen. Juan Flavier, considered as one of the ruling Lakas party’s possible alternative candidate to Roco, landed in fifth place with only four percent.

Although Roco is not a member of Lakas, his Aksyon Demokratiko party is a member of Mrs. Arroyo’s People Power Coalition political alliance.

In fourth place is Mrs. Arroyo, who got nine percent even though she unexpectedly withdrew from next year’s presidential contest, saying it would distract her from improving the lives of Filipinos, 39 percent of whom live in poverty.

The other possible presidential candidates included in the survey list — among them Sen. Edgardo Angara, former ambassador Eduardo Cojuangco, Senate President Franklin Drilon, Sen. Loren Legarda and Sen. Ramon Magsaysay — got voter support of four percent or less.

Forty-five percent of the poll respondents said they agreed with Mrs. Arroyo’s decision not to run, while 25 percent disagreed.

Many believe she withdrew because her popularity has been on the wane since she assumed the presidency after a military-backed popular uprising in January 2001.

In a Pulse Asia survey also taken from March 29 to April 12, Mrs. Arroyo’s public approval rating remained steady after her withdrawal from the 2004 elections and her support for the US-led war on Iraq.

Mrs. Arroyo’s 45 percent rating was virtually unchanged from a November 2002 survey where she got 46 percent despite rising pessimism among Filipinos on their future.

"The President’s withdrawal from the 2004 presidential elections and her support for the US-led war on Iraq seem to have no net effect, whether positive or negative, on public opinion and perception on her," Pulse Asia said.

Her stance on anti-terrorism and counterinsurgency got "some public approval" because of the continuing threat of terrorism in the Asian region, the recent bombings in Davao City and the upsurge of attacks by Islamic and communist rebels, it said.

Mrs. Arroyo is Washington’s most vocal supporter in Asia. She backed the US-led war on Iraq despite running into domestic criticism.

But the same survey also showed "public dissatisfaction with her economic programs."

Fifty-three percent of Filipinos said their quality of life has taken a turn for the worse over the past year, while 38 percent say they expect their lives to turn for the worse in the coming year.