MANILA: The tandem of presidential aspirant Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (pic, left) and vice-presidential candidate Sara Duterte-Carpio maintained a commanding lead in the latest election survey released on Wednesday, reported Xinhua.
A national survey by Pulse Asia conducted from March 17 to March 21 showed that 56 per cent of the 2,400 Filipinos aged 18 and above surveyed said they would vote for Marcos Jr. for president.
“Marcos remains the frontrunner in the May 2022 presidential race,” Pulse Asia said, adding that the son of former President Ferdinand Marcos “is supported by near to sizable majorities across geographic areas and socioeconomic classes.”
Incumbent Vice President Maria Leonor Robredo trailed Marcos with 24 per cent; Manila City Mayor Francisco Domagoso, 8 per cent; Senator and boxing champion Emmanuel Pacquiao, 6 per cent; and Senator Panfilo Lacson, 2 per cent.
Davao City Mayor Carpio, the daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte, is also leading the vice presidential race with 56 per cent, as the “favoured vice-presidential candidate of big pluralities overwhelming majorities across geographic areas and socioeconomic classes.”
Trailing Carpio was Senate President Vicente Sotto with 20 per cent and Senator Francis Pangilinan with 15 per cent.
Prior to the release of this survey, the Robredo campaign was saying that the polls that have been released have yet to capture the groundswell of support for the independent presidential candidate, which they said is seen in her massive rallies.
Marcos’ four-point drop was due to his decline in all regions and in all economic classes, except for A and B, which Pulse Asia still did not provide numbers for.
In contrast, Robredo posted two-digit leaps in Balance Luzon (+14), Class C (+13) and D (+10) and only declined by one point in Metro Manila. The national and local elections are scheduled for May 9 in the Southeast Asian country. There are 10 presidential candidates and nine vice-presidential candidates.
The Philippine constitution permits the president to serve a single six-year term.
The March survey involved 2,400 respondent aged 18 years old and above nationwide. The respondents were interviewed through face-to-face interviews.
It has a 2 percent error margin at the 95 percent confidence level, Pulse Asia said.
Two presidential debates were held at the time the survey was conducted, including the first leg of the Comelec-organized “PiliPinas Debates 2022.”
Also among the key events that occurred at the time were the skyrocketing oil prices amid the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and President Rodrigo Duterte approving a monthly subsidy for poor Filipinos in response to the crisis.
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