Dismal results in SWS poll a ‘wake up call’, says UNA bet

San Juan Representative Joseph Victor Ejercito. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The recent dismal results in a recent poll by many of United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) coalition’s senatorial bets was a “wake up call”, one of its candidates said on Thursday.

San Juan Representative Joseph Victor Ejercito said that the sudden drop from the Magic 12 of several UNA candidates should be a “wake up call that we have to double our efforts.”

“It only means that reality bites that it is difficult to match the admin’s machinery,” he said.

Unlike past survey results wherein UNA candidates grabbed many spots in the Magic 12, the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey had Liberal Party (LP) candidates grabbing most of the places in the top 12.

Senatorial aspirants Nancy Binay, daughter of Vice Presidwnt Jejmoar Binay; Ejercitos, son of former President Joseph Estrada; and former Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri were the only UNA candidates who made it to the top 12.

Cagayan Representative Jack Enrile and Senator Gregorio Honasan, who have done well in past surveys, dropped to 13th and 15th respectively.

Ejercito said that they were hoping to turn things around as UNA rolled out a heftier schedule this weekend, with candidates trooping to Mindanao after holding sorties within the National Capital Region (NCR) this week.

But he denied that their packed schedule had anything to do with the recent survey results, saying that these sorties have been planned ahead and were part of UNA’s regular schedule.