‘No time to relax,’ says Poe despite topping latest senatorial survey

Reelectionist Senator Grace Poe returns to Pangasinan, the hometown of her father, the late Fernando Poe Jr., to launch the provincial leg of her campaign on February 19, 2019. PHOTO courtesy of Senator Grace Poe.

MANILA, Philippines — Even if she has been consistently topping senatorial surveys, reelectionist Senator Grace Poe continues to woo voters all over the country, seeing no room to be complacent as the midterm election nears.

“Walang panahong mag-relax. Marami pang puwedeng mangyari, mabigat ang mga kalaban. Mananawagan tayo sa ating mga kababayan na samahan tayo hanggang sa dulo,” Poe said in a statement hours after major pollster Social Weather Stations (SWS) revealed its latest pre-election survey on the senatorial race.

(No time to relax. Many things can still happen, our competitors are heavyweights. We would call on our countrymen to join us until the end.)

The senator, however, attributed her lead in the latest survey to her efforts on directly hearing out people’s concerns.

“The campaign period has given us the chance to go straight to the people, talk to them and hear out their concerns. Maraming problema ang ating mga kababayan (Our countrymen has so much problems). Nakikita natin na marami tayong dapat gawin, ‘yan ang commitment natin sa kanila (We’re able to see that we have to do more, and that is our commitment to them),” Poe added.

Another reelectionist, Senator Cynthia Villar, came in second in the SWS senatorial survey, which was conducted from February 25 to 28. Meanwhile, former Special Assistant to the President and administration-backed candidate Bong Go notably rose to the third spot.

READ: Bong Go surges to solo third place in latest SWS survey

Other aspirants who made it to SWS survey’s “Magic 12” were Taguig Rep. Pia Cayetano, action star-turned-politician Lito Lapid, incumbent Senators Sonny Angara and Nancy Binay, former Senator and plunder-accused Jinggoy Estrada, former Senator Mar Roxas, incumbent Senator Bam Aquino, former Senator and plunder-accused Bong Revilla, and former Philippine National Police and Bureau of Corrections chief Bato Dela Rosa. /kga