SWS: Sotto, Lacson, Recto top Senate survey

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Vicente Sotto III continued to lead senatorial candidates for the May elections based on the results of the latest BusinessWorld-Social Weather Stations (SWS) pre-election survey.

The results, released yesterday, showed Sotto obtaining 52 percent voter preference for this month, from 56 percent in January.

The survey, conducted from Feb. 5 to 7, used face-to-face interviews of 1,200 validated voters nationwide and had a sampling error margin of plus or minus three percentage points.

Coming in second is former senator Panfilo Lacson, whose rating remained at 49 percent.

Sen. Ralph Recto took third spot with 46 percent, unchanged from his January score.

Former senator and food security presidential assistant Francis Pangilinan ranked fourth with 42 percent, from 46 last month. He is followed by Senate President Franklin Drilon with 40 percent, from 43 in January.

Ranked sixth is former senator Juan Miguel Zubiri with 38 percent from 39 last month.

Sen. Sergio Osmeña III is in seventh place with 37 percent from 42 percent.

Boxing icon and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao and former justice secretary Leila de Lima are tied at eighth and ninth places with 35 percent each.

Pacquiao’s voter preference dropped by two points while De Lima’s score increased by two.

In 10th place is former Akbayan lawmaker Risa Hontiveros with 27 percent from 28 percent.

The SWS survey showed a close fight for the last two seats among Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, with 26 percent from 28; former senator Richard Gordon, 26 from 31 percent; Valenzuela City Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian, 23 percent from 17, and former Technology Education and Skills Development Authority head Joel Villanueva with 22 from 19 percent last month.