Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III (Henzberg Austria/ Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — Humbled by topping the latest Pulse Asia vice presidential survey, Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Wednesday said he would use his ranking as a “confidence booster” ahead of the 2022 polls.
“With utmost humility, I thank God and our ‘kababayans’ for the trust and confidence that many are placing on me and my dream of further serving the Filipino Family beyond the halls of the Senate,” Sotto said in a statement.
“I will use this confidence booster to work harder as the top official of the Senate, as I present myself to our people as a worthy and reliable candidate for VP!” he added.
According to the Pulse Asia survey, Sotto emerged as the top vice presidential choice, surging past President Rodrigo Duterte.
Twenty-five percent of the 2,400 Filipinos surveyed said they would vote for Sotto.
READ: Pulse Asia: Sara Duterte top pick for president, Sotto leads VP polls
Meanwhile, Sotto’s presidential running mate, Senator Panfilo Lacson, ranked seventh with a six-percent voter preference.
Of the possible candidates that ranked higher than Lacson, only Manila Mayor Isko Moreno and Senator Manny Pacquiao have declared their presidential bids so far.
In response to the latest survey, Lacson said: “We’re doing alright. We have our own tracking. We are not even thinking of recalibrating our strategy.”
“It goes without saying that I am not questioning the results of the Pulse Asia survey even as I congratulate SP Sotto, my running mate, for topping the latest vice-presidential survey,” he added.
READ: Lacson-Sotto tandem to file COC on Oct. 6