Sotto, Drilon top Pulse- ABS-CBN senatorial survey

Sen. Vicente Sotto III of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) and Senate President Franklin Drilon of the ruling Liberal Party (LP) continued to dominate the senatorial race, according to the latest Pulse Asia survey commissioned by ABS- CBN. Sotto and Drilon were tied at first to second slots with 49.4 percent and 48.9 percent, respectively.

Former senators Francis Pangilinan (LP) and Panfilo Lacson (LP guest candidate) occupied the third to fourth places with 45 percent and 43.9 percent, respectively.

Former senator Juan Miguel Zubiri (independent) was ranked fifth to sixth places with 37.3 percent. Zubiri is a guest candidate of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) of Vice President Jejomar Binay.

Former justice secretary Leila de Lima obtained 36.5 percent and was ranked fifth to ninth slots.

Sharing sixth to 12th places were Sen. Sergio Osmeña III (independent), Sen. Ralph Recto (LP) and world boxing icon and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao (UNA) with 34.1 percent, 34 percent, and 33.6 percent, respectively.

Former senator Richard Gordon (independent), former Technical Education and Skills Development Authority director general Joel Villanueva (LP) and former Akbayan representative Risa Hontiveros (LP) occupied the seventh to 12th slots with 32.6 percent, 32.3 percent and 32.1 percent, respectively. Gordon is also a guest candidate of UNA.

Sen. Teofisto Guingona III (LP) was out of the winning circle with 24.9 percent, sharing the 13th to 15th slots with Valenzuela City Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian (NPC), who garnered 27.5 percent, and former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairman Francis Tolentino with 25.4 percent.

The survey, conducted from March 29 to April 3, used face-to-face interviews of 4,000 registered voters nationwide. It has an error margin of plus minus 1.5 percent.