MANILA, Philippines?(UPDATE) Senator Manny Villar has again emerged as the top choice for president next year in a survey by the Social Weather Station which he himself commissioned.

The nationwide survey of 1,500 respondents was made June 19 to 22, a few weeks before the death of the late president Corazon Aquino which is believed to have changed the political landscape for the 2010 elections.

In the survey, Villar posted a 22-percent approval, followed by former president Joseph Estrada with 19 percent and Senator Francis ?Chiz? Escudero with 18 percent.

Vice President Noli De Castro ranked fourth in the survey with 14 percent, fifth was Senator Manuel ?Mar? Roxas with 10 percent, Senator Loren Legarda came at sixth place with 6 percent, while Senator Panfilo ?Ping? Lacson and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay shared the seventh place with 3 percent.

At the bottom were Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Bayani Fernando with 1 percent and Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro with only 0.3 percent.

The question asked respondents was, ?Sa mga sumusunod na pangalan sa listahang ito, sino ang malamang nyong iboboto bilang presidente ng Pilipinas (Of the following names on this list, who are you likely to vote for president of the Philippines)??

The survey had a marginal error of 2.5 percent.

The result was almost identical to that of the second quarter SWS survey during the same period which had 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.?

Thirty-three percent gave the name of Villar in response to the question, 25 percent were for Estrada, 20 percent for Escudero and Roxas, 19 percent for De Castro, and 15 percent for Legarda.

Seven percent were for Lacson, 4 percent for Binay, and 1 percent each for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Metro Manila Development Authority chief Bayani Fernando, Pampanga Governor Ed Panlilio, Brother Eddie Villanueva, and Senators Francis Pangilinan, Richard Gordon, Antonio Trillanes IV, and Miriam Defensor-Santiago.

No list of names was provided to prompt the respondents.

Estrada had also commissioned an SWS survey, showing him leading among the possible presidential contenders in next year?s elections.