VICE President Sara Duterte is the early front-runner in the race for the 2028 presidential elections in the latest nationwide survey conducted by Pulse Asia Research nearly two years before the next national polls.
The survey, conducted from June 28 to July 3 — before Duterte’s impeachment trial began — found that 49 percent of some 2,400 respondents would vote for Duterte if the May 2028 presidential election were held during the survey period.
Former vice president and incumbent Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo ranked second with 26 percent, followed by Sen. Raffy Tulfo with 14 percent.
Far behind were Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon and Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who each received 1-percent support, while Metropolitan Manila Development Authority General Manager Nicolas Torre III garnered 0.1 percent. Other personalities collectively received 0.4 percent of voter preference.
Meanwhile, 4 percent of the respondents said they remained undecided, another 4 percent said they would not support any of the listed candidates, while 1 percent declined to answer.
Regionally, Duterte posted her strongest numbers in Mindanao, where she received 87-percent support, and in the Visayas with 53 percent. She also led among all socioeconomic classes, receiving 46 percent among Class ABC respondents, 48 percent among Class D and 59 percent among Class E.
In Metro Manila, however, Duterte and Robredo were virtually tied, with Duterte receiving 39 percent against Robredo’s 38 percent. In the rest of Luzon, both potential candidates posted identical support at 31 percent.
Pulse Asia also tested five alternative presidential race scenarios, with Duterte leading in every matchup.
In a three-way race against Robredo and Tulfo, Duterte obtained 51-percent support, followed by Robredo with 27 percent and Tulfo with 16 percent. Six percent of respondents were either undecided, refused to answer or said they would not vote for any of the candidates.
In another scenario featuring Duterte against Sen. Erwin Tulfo and Sen. Risa Hontiveros, Duterte widened her lead to 56 percent. Erwin Tulfo received 16 percent while Hontiveros got 13 percent. Fourteen percent were undecided, declined to answer or said they would not vote.
