MANILA, Philippines—Vice President Noli de Castro and senators Loren Legarda and Manny Villar are still the top choices to succeed President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo come 2010, a survey by the Social Weather Stations found.

The Fourth Quarter 2008 Social Weather Survey found that about a third mentioned De Castro (31 percent), Legarda (28 percent) and Villar (27 percent).

The survey asked the question: "Under the present Constitution, the term of President Arroyo is up to 2010 only, and there will be an election for a new President in May 2010. Who do you think are good leaders who should succeed Pres. Arroyo as President? You may give up to three names."

No list of names was provided to prompt the respondents, SWS said in a statement released Tuesday.

Also mentioned by respondents were Senator Francis Escudero (19 percent), Senator Panfilo Lacson (14 percent), former President Joseph Estrada (11 percent) and Senator Mar Roxas (10 percent).

The survey also found two percent mentioning Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chair Bayani Fernando, while one percent mentioned Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Senator Francis Pangilinan, President Arroyo, Batangas Governor Vilma Santos, economic planning secretary Ralph Recto, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri.

Seven percent could not give an answer, while 12 percent had no one to recommend, SWS also noted.

Compared to the previous survey round, those mentioning Escudero increased by 3 percentage points (from 16 percent to 19 percent), while an increase of two percentage points was also noted for de Castro (from 29 percent to 31 percent), Legarda (from 26 percent to 28 percent) and Binay (from 0.3 percent to 2 percent).

On the other hand, mentions of Lacson and Roxas went down by three percentage points (from 17 percent to 14 percent and 13 percent to 10 percent, respectively), while those mentioning Estrada decreased by two points (from 13 percent to 11 percent), and Villar, by one point (from 28 percent to 27 percent).

The survey was conducted from November 28 to December 1 using face-to-face interviews with 1,500 adults in Metro Manila, Luzon outside Metro Manila, Visayas and Mindanao. It had a margin of error of plus-minus 2.5 percentage points.