Erap zooms to No. 2 in latest Pulse survey

Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) presidential candidate former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada is slowly but surely inching closer to the top.

In the latest Pulse Asia survey released Friday, Estrada surged to second place in a tie with Nacionalista Party (NP) standard-bearer Sen. Manny Villar. Still leading the pack is Liberal Party (LP) standard-bearer Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.
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The nationwide survey conducted from April 23 to 25 with 1,800 respondents showed that Aquino leads with 39 percent of the overall voter preference, a two-point increase from 37 percent in the March survey.

Both Estrada and Villar have 20-percent voter preference.

Estrada’s score is two points higher than the 20 percent he got in the previous survey, while Villar’s voter preference dropped five percentage points from 25 percent last March.

In the recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey results, Aquino also registered the highest voter preference with 38 percent, while Villar came in second with 28 percent, and Estrada in third place with 17 percent.

The Pulse Asia survey particularly asked the respondents to indicate their preference on a sample ballot that is a facsimile of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) official ballot.

The other presidential hopefuls have the support of 7 percent, at most.

Administration bet former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. (Lakas-Kampi-CMD) got 7 percent of the overall voter preference followed by spiritual leader Bro. Eddie Villanueva (Bangon Pilipinas) with 3 percent, Bagumbayan's Senator Richard Gordon (2 percent), disqualified bet Vetallano Acosta (1 percent), independent candidate Jesus Nicanor Perlas (0.3 percent), Olongapo City Councilor John Carlos De Los Reyes of Ang Kapatiran (0.2 percent), and independent candidate Senator Jamby Madrigal (0.1 percent).

The other presidential candidates registered nominal or no changes in their respective voter preferences between March and April 2010.

Meanwhile, less than one in 10 registered voters (9 percent) does not support any presidential candidate.

With regard to voter preference across geographic areas, Aquino also led the other presidential candidates in the rest of Luzon with 37 percent, Metro Manila with 39 percent, and the Visayas with 47 percent.

In Mindanao, nearly the same percentages of registered voters support either Aquino or Estrada, with 36 percent and 34 percent, respectively.

Likewise, Aquino got the support of all socio-economic classes ABC (middle to upper classes), D (masa), and E (poorest class) from 37 percent to 45 percent.

In the vice-presidential race, it’s a battle between Senator Manuel Roxas II and Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay (PDP-Laban), with 37 percent and 28 percent, respectively.

Pulse Asia said that despite a six-percentage point decline in his overall voter preference during the period March to April 2010, Roxas still has the lead in the vice-presidential race with 37 percent of registered voters supporting his candidacy.

Legarda, who is now ranked third, is supported by 20 percent of those polled, slightly lower than her March 2010 voter preference (23 percent).

The other vice-presidential candidates register voter preferences of at most 3 percent, while 9 percent of registered voters do not have a preferred candidate for vice-president.

Other vice-presidential hopefuls are former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Bayani Fernando (Bagumbayan) with 3 percent, actor-TV host Edu Manzano (Lakas-Kampi-CMD) also with 3 percent, former Securities and Exchange Commission chief Perfecto Yasay Jr. (Bangon Pilipinas) with 1 percent, broadcaster Jay Sonza (Kilusang Bagong Lipunan) with 0.3 percent, and lawyer Dominador Chipeco Jr. (Ang Kapatiran) with 0.05 percent.

Villar unperturbed
Despite the survey results, the NP is optimistic their candidates, particularly Villar and Legarda, will win, saying the party is boosting its local machinery that will ensure that voters will go to precincts and cast their votes on election day.

“It is a machinery that usually makes or breaks a national contest,” said NP spokesman and senatorial bet Gilbert Remulla.

Remulla made the optimistic prediction following a successful Rockatropa concerts in Mindanao provinces including Davao, Saranggani, Zamboanga cities which attracted thousands of supporters over the past few weeks.

Villar and his supporter TV host Willie Revillame were scheduled again last night to court support from the Central Luzon areas as they staged the event at the Bulacan Sports Complex in Barangay Sta. Isabel in Malolos.

Villar told reporters that despite the repeated black propaganda and mudslinging waged by his political rivals, the biggest issue in the May 10 elections will still be the leadership and experience of the candidates.

“After being entertained by all these antics by our opponents, Filipinos will still have to ask themselves, ‘Who is the most qualified person to lead the country out of the rut and into a brighter and better future?’” Villar said.

Villar lamented his opponents have already employed many “dirty tricks in the book” to try to derail his candidacy.

Villar attributed the drop in his survey ratings to the black propaganda campaign of the LP and the PMP.

Still unperturbed by the smear drive, Villar said he is more determined to secure victory with only 12 days remaining before the final day.

By ELLALYN B. DE VERA
April 29, 2010, 5:46pm
Manila Bulliten


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