Poe, Binay share lead

Chiz, Bongbong also statistically tied in VP race in Pulse survey

Senator Grace Poe and Vice President Jejomar C. Binay continued to dominate the presidential surveys as the latest Pulse Asia poll of February 15-20 showed the two sharing the lead for the May, 2016, presidential race.

With only two months to go before the national elections, Poe and Binay had 26 percent and 25 percent, respectively, of the 1,800 respondents in the survey.

Close behind them were Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and former Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas, who both had 21 percent. Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago had 3 percent. The

undecided also numbered 3 percent.

Poe’s rating dropped 4 percentage points from 30 percent last January, while Binay gained 2 percent from January’s 23 percentage points.

Binay led in Metro Manila with 33 percent while Poe led in the Balance of Luzon with 33 percent. Roxas led in Visayas with 35 percent, while Duterte was dominant in Mindanao with 45 percent.

Pulse Asia said the levels of support for the presidential bids of the five candidates remained generally constant on both geographic areas and socio-economic classes since the previous survey.

Among the economic classes, Poe and Roxas both led with 25 percent in Class ABC, Poe and Binay led with 25 percent in Class D, Binay led with 31 percent in Class E, Duterte had 24

percent in Class ABC.

For vice president In the vice presidential race, Sen. Francis Escudero had 29 percent while Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. had 26 percent.

Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo had 19 percent; Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, 12 percent; Sen. Antonio Trillanes, 6 percent; and Sen. Gregorio Honasan II, 4 percent. Three percent were undecided.

In Metro Manila, Escudero had 35 percent, while Marcos had 34 percent. In the rest of Luzon, Marcos had 32 percent while Escudero had 31 percent.

In Visayas, Escudero and Robredo had 29 percent and 28 percent, respectively.

In Mindanao, Escudero and Cayetano both had 22 percent, followed by Marcos with 19 percent and Robredo with 16 percent.

Among economic classes, Marcos had 44 percent in Class ABC while Escudero led in Class E with 32 percent.

The survey also stated that 44 percent of the respondents already had a complete senatorial slate.

Leading the senatorial candidates were: Sen. Vicente Sotto III, 63.6 percent; former Sen. Panfilo Lacson, 60.2 percent; former Sen. Francis Pangilinan, 54.1 percent; Sen. Ralph Recto, 53.4 percent; Senate President Franklin Drilon, 52.4 percent; former Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, 48.5 percent; former Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, 45.3 percent; Sen. Sergio Osmeña III, 43.7 percent; former Sen. Richard Gordon, 42.6 percent; Valenzuela City Representative Sherwin Gatchalian, 41.2 percent; former Technical Education and Skills Development Authority DirectorGeneral Emmanuel Villanueva, 39.1 percent; Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, 36.7 percent; former Akbayan party-list Rep. Risa Hontiveros, 36.2 percent; and Sarangani Rep. Emmanuel Pacquiao, 34.8 percent.

Poe jubilant

Poe was jubilant she remains a top contender in the May, 2016 presidential race despite the legal battles she has to hurdle, particularly the imminent decision of the Supreme Court (SC) on the disqualification cases hurled against her.

Binay grateful

In Meycauayan, Bulacan, which he visited yesterday, Binay said nothing can stop his rise in the presidential preference poll. “I am very grateful to all of our kababayan. This is unstoppable. This will go on (his lead in the survey),” said Binay.

He noted that he had a 10 percent increase in the National Capital Region.

Palace optimistic

Meanwhile, Malacañang remains optimistic that the Roxas- Robredo Liberal Party tandem will emerge victorious in the May elections.

Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said: “The February 15- 20 Pulse survey shows the race tightening. The posturing is wearing thin as reality is catching up with those increasingly unable to withstand scrutiny. As the public’s attention and concentration increases the breakthrough of the true candidates of reform is imminent,” Lacierda said.

“We are confident that as clarity occurs, the public will take to heart that this nation has too much potential to risk any course other than continuity and stability through Daang Matuwid,” he added. (With reports from Hannah L. Torregoza, Genalyn D. Kabiling, and Anna Liza Villas Alavaren)