Escudero remains top pick for VP, Sotto for senator

Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero and Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS

Sen. Francis Escudero has remained the front-runner among vice presidential aspirants in the May elections, according to the results of the latest Pulse Asia voter preference poll.

The survey also showed Sen. Vicente Sotto III and former Sen. Francis Pangilinan leading the race for the Senate.

The noncommissioned poll conducted on Jan. 24-28 showed that 33 percent of 1,800 registered voters polled nationwide picked Escudero as the next Vice President, a slight movement from his previous preference score of 29 percent in December.

Preference for Sen. Bongbong Marcos remained at 23 percent, while the score of Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo moved to 18 percent from 14 percent.

Following her were Senators Alan Peter Cayetano (14 percent from 18 percent), Gringo Honasan (5 percent from 9 percent) and Antonio Trillanes IV (unchanged at 4 percent).

Of the 52 senatorial candidates covered by the poll, 13 have a “statistical chance” of winning if the elections were held during the survey period.

The results showed that 68.8 percent of the 1,800 respondents would vote for Sotto, who is running for a second term in the Senate under the Nationalist People’s Coalition.

Pangilinan, who is running under the Liberal Party, gained a double-digit increase from the 54.5 percent votes in December last year to 65.6 percent in the latest survey.

Former Sen. Panfilo Lacson came in third with 63.3 percent. He was followed by Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto (59.9 percent) and Senate President Franklin Drilon (58.8 percent).

With the exception of former Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, all the probable winners are either current or former members of the Senate. De Lima scored 48.2 percent of the votes from the survey.

Others in the possible winners’ circle were former Rep. Juan Miguel Zubiri (54.9 percent) and former Sen. Richard Gordon (48.6 percent), Sen. Sergio Osmeña III (54.8 percent), Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao (46.9 percent), Sen. Teofisto Guingona III (41.4 percent), former Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros (41.1 percent) and Valenzuela City Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian (37.7 percent). Inquirer Research

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