Escudero elated by Filipinos’ ‘unshakable support’

Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero said he was elated by the “unshakable support” of the Filipino people for his candidacy, after the latest surveys by three polling firms, which showed him the voters’ top choice for president in 2016.

Escudero, running mate of Senator Grace Poe, emerged as the top choice for vice president based on separate surveys conducted by the Social Weather Station (SWS), Pulse Asia, and the Standard.

READ: Escudero tops Pulse VP poll Marcos 2nd in 5 way race

“Nakatataba po ng puso ang mga resulta ng magkahiwalay na surveys. Patunay lamang ito na sa kabila ng mga pagsubok na kinakaharap namin ni Senator Grace ay patuloy pa ring nagtitiwala ang taumbayan sa mabuti naming hangarin para sa bansa,” he said in a statement on Friday.

(The results of the separate surveys warm the heart. These prove that despite the challenges Senator Grace and I face, the people continue to have faith in our good intentions for the country.)

But while surveys will continue to guide him and Poe in the coming days, Escudero said, they will remain focus on spreading their platform of government for inclusive growth, transparency and global competitiveness.

“Tinitingnan at iginagalang namin ang resulta ng survey bilang giya para sa mga dapat pa naming gawin sa susunod na buwan. Ngunit gaya nang paulit-ulit kong sinasabi, bababa at tataas iyan,” he said.

(We will consider and respect the resilts of the survey as guidance for what we must do in the coming months. But like what we say time and again, [our standing] will rise and fall.)

In the SWS survey conducted from December 12 to 14 among 1,200 respondents, Escudero got the hightest vote for president with 30 percent followed by Camarines Sur Representative Leni Robredo and Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr with 19 percent, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano with 17 percent, Senator Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan with 8 percent, and Senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV with 5 percent.

Escudero also maintained his lead with 29 percent in the Pulse Asia survey conducted from December 4 to 11 among 1,800 respondents. He was followed by Marcos with 23 percent, Cayetano with 18 percent, Robredo with 14 percent, Honasan with 9 percent, and Trillanes with 4 percent.

He also got the highest rating among the vice presidential candidates in The Standard Poll conducted from December 4 to 12 among 1,500 respondents from 76 provinces and all 17 localities in Metro Manila.

Poe also topped The Standard Poll candidates at 28 percent, followed by Vice President Jejomar Binay who got 23 percent; former Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, 22 percent; Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, 19 percent; and Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, 3 percent.

“Ang survey na ito ay patunay na hindi natitinag ang suporta sa amin ni Senator Grace sa kabila ng matinding tangka na siya ay hindi mapabilang sa listahan ng mga kandidato sa pagka-pangulo. Makakaasa po ang taumbayan na puspusan pa rin ang aming pagtatrabaho upang pangalagaan ang kanilang pagtitiwala sa kabila ng mga pagharang sa kanyang kandidatura,” Escudero said.

(This survey is proof that our supporters are not fazed by the attempts of removing Senator Grace from the list of candidates for the presidency. Our countrymen can count on our tirelwss efforts to keep their faith in us despite the thwarting of her candidacy.)

Escudero admitted though that the unfavorable rulings of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) against Poe have affected her numbers, but these will not deter them.

“Hindi makakailang nakaapekto ang ang dalawang disqualification ng Comelec. Mataas man o mababa sa survey, patuloy pa rin kaming mag-iikot para maiparating sa mga mamamayan ang aming mensahe,” he said.

(It cannot be denied that the rwo disqualification cases in the Comelec had an effect. Whether our survey standing is high or low, we will continue doing rounds to deliver our message to our countrymen.)

He was referring to the decisions of the Comelec’s First and Second Divisions to disqualify Poe over her citizenship and residency. The decisions were later upheld by the Comelec’s en banc.

Poe is set to appeal next week the en banc’s decision to the Supreme Court. CDG