Reelectionist senators top latest survey

Senate President Franklin Drilon, Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and former Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS

THE ODDS of winning a Senate seat are stacked in favor of reelectionist or former senators.

Eight of them have a statistical chance of winning in the May 9 elections, results of the latest Pulse Asia survey showed.

Of the probable winners, five belong to the Liberal Party, four are independent candidates, and one each are members of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, United Nationalist Alliance and Akbayan party-list group.

Sen. Vicente Sotto III regained the top spot, with 49.1 percent of respondents saying they would vote for him if the elections were held anytime between April 12 and 17, the period when the survey was conducted.

Senate President Franklin Drilon, who held the No. 1 slot in the previous senatorial poll, is statistically tied with Sotto, with 47.6 percent of respondents.

The survey, which used face-to-face interviews with 4,000 registered voters, had a margin of error of plus-or-minus 1.5 percentage points.

Also on the probable winners’ circle are former Senators Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan (43.8 percent), Panfilo “Ping” Lacson (39.9 percent) and Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri (39.4 percent), and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao (39 percent).

Seventh to 12th

Completing the Top 12 with the same statistical ranking of 7th to 12th are former Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros (35.9 percent), Sen. Sergio Osmeña III (35.8 percent), former Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Director General Joel Villanueva (35.6 percent), Sen. Ralph Recto (35.4 percent), former Sen. Richard Gordon (35.2 percent), and former Justice Secretary Leila M. de Lima (35 percent).

Following the Top 12 are Valenzuela City Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian (28.8 percent), Sen. Teofisto Guingona III (23.5 percent), Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso (22.2 percent), Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez (22.1 percent), former Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority COO Mark Lapid (21.8 percent).

Former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chair Francis Tolentino (21.4 percent), former Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla (14 percent), former Optical Media Board Chair Edu Manzano (13.6 percent) and Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares (12.3 percent).

With less than a month to go before the elections, 35 percent of the voters already have a complete senatorial slate, results of the survey also showed. Almi Ilagan-Atienza, Inquirer Research

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