Incumbents, ex-lawmakers lead Senate race

With less than eight months to go before the 2016 elections, all the probable winners in the senatorial race are either incumbent or former members of Congress, according to the latest survey by Pulse Asia.

Only Justice Secretary Leila de Lima is not an incumbent or former lawmaker among the 14 probable winners.

The survey, conducted from Sept. 8 to 14, used face-to-face interviews with 2,400 respondents and had a margin of error of plus-or-minus 2 percentage points.

In a statement released Monday, Pulse Asia noted that most of those surveyed (64 percent) already had a complete senatorial slate.

The survey found Sen. Vicente Sotto III leading the senatorial race with 63.6 percent.

He was followed by former Sen. Panfilo Lacson (59.3 percent), Sen. Bongbong Marcos (54.9 percent), Sen. Franklin Drilon (48.2 percent) and former Sen. Francis Pangilinan (46.6 percent).

Close behind was Sen. Ralph Recto (45.4 percent), who was followed by former Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri (41.4 percent), Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao (39.6 percent), Sen. Sergio Osmeña III (38.7 percent), former Sen. Richard Gordon (36.8 percent) and Las Piñas Rep. Mark Villar (35.8 percent).

Former Sen. Jamby Madrigal got 35.2 percent; Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, 35.2 percent; and Taguig Rep. Lino Cayetano, 34.2 percent.

“Only 2.1 percent of Filipinos do not express support for any probable senatorial candidate in the May 2016 elections,” Pulse Asia said.—Inquirer Research