Pulso ng Pilipino: Survey shows Roquero leads race for Antique governor

With the May 2025 midterm election a mere 15 months away, a rebellion by voters in the province of Antique is effectively underway.

They are aligning themselves behind a new voice of governance that rejects the old-time politicians who made long promises but delivered little.

“Voters are frustrated no end by this lack of concern about people’s welfare and economic upliftment. The rising mood is to turn a new leaf, and to let a dynamic new leadership take over “said Ed Malay, head of the polling firm, The Issues and Advocacy Center (The Center), which picked up the province-wide rumbling of voters in its survey recently. Asked who among the four candidates would they choose if the May 12, 2025 elections were held today, 663 or 58.5 percent of 1,134 survey respondents picked Raymundo Roquero, former mayor of Valderrama town.

Roquero has scored a big lead over the respondents’ second choice, Vice Gov. Edgar Denosta, who garnered 306 votes or 27 percent. Former Cong. Paolo Javier trailed at 138 votes or 12.2 percent and Capt. Vic Fedelicio at 27 votes or 2.4 percent.

Describing himself as a true-blooded “Batang Antique,” Roquero attributed his early lead in the gubernatorial race to “a lot of hard work, sheer determination and close inter-action with the people in the barangays.”

Roquero, who is at present running the affairs of the Anakalusugan P{arty List in Antique, recently took his oath before Speaker Martin Romualdez in Congress as member of LakasCMD, the dominant political party where he once served at its Deputy Secretary General and

Executive Director.

The Pulso ng Pilipino survey which used the multi-stage area probability sampling (MSAP), a standard norm in the polling exercises worldwide, covered some 1,134 respondents throughout the 18 municipalities, including the island town of Caluya in Antique.

The survey was limited only to the registered voters of the province with ages ranging from 18 years old to 65 years old and above. Selective interviews were made taking into account the demographic requirements such as gender, age and socio-economic classifications.

Roquero, who is also the current provincial chairman of the Anakalusugan Party List that topped the last party list election in Antique, won in all but one town and tied in another municipality to underscore his rising popularity among Antiqueno voters.

“My definition of success is when I am able to make a difference in the lives of our people,” said Roquero, in reference to his mission, which he said has touched the hearts of Antiquenos who are looking for a new leader to take lead them to their “Promised Land.”

Malay said Roquero has started to build up a wide base of support from among the province’s registered voters.

Interestingly, the survey respondents were given a self- rated questionnaire on what Antiquenos perceived as major issues and concerns affecting their lives, and majority pointed to graft and corruption which Malay added will likely influence the local polls.

He said even if the pre-poll survey is generally based on perception yet it is close to the existing local political reality.