Incumbent, ex-lawmakers lead Senate race

FORMER and incumbent lawmakers are leading the race for the Senate, with about a third (29 percent) of the voters already having a full list of candidates, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) poll.

Taken from May 1 to 3 and first published in the BusinessWorld newspaper, the SWS poll also showed party-list Ako Bicol leading 16 groups poised to gain at least one guaranteed seat in the House of Representatives.

Leading the circle of 12 in the senatorial race are Senate President Franklin Drilon (42 percent), Sen. Vicente Sotto (39 percent), former Sen. Francis Pangilinan (34 percent), Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao (34 percent) and former Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros (33 percent).

READ: Drilon, Sotto top picks for senator in final SWS pre-election poll

In contention for the remaining eight seats are former Sen. Panfilo Lacson, Sen. Sergio Osmeña III, and former Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Director General Joel Villanueva, who all posted 31 percent; former Sen. Richard Gordon and Sen. Ralph Recto, who both scored 30 percent; former Bukidnon Rep. Juan Miguel Zubiri and former Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, who both scored 29 percent; and Valenzuela Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian, who posted 27 percent.

Following them are Sen. Teofisto Guingona III (23 percent), former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chair Francis Tolentino (22 percent) and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez (21 percent).

Ako Bicol leads in the party-list race with 5.82 percent, followed by Gabriela (5.58 percent), 1Pacman (4.79 percent), Senior Citizens (3.92 percent), ACT Teachers (3.38 percent), Kabayan (3.18 percent), Agri (3.17 percent), Buhay (3.01 percent), An Waray (2.63 percent), Abono (2.54 percent), Yacap (2.51 percent), Bayan Muna (2.27 percent), Akbayan (2.27 percent), Diwa (2.18 percent), Ang Kabuhayan (2.08 percent) and Kalinga (2.06 percent).

The poll had a margin of error of plus-or-minus 1 percentage point. It used face-to-face interviews with 4,500 respondents, who were asked in simulated balloting whom they would vote for as senators and party-list if the elections were held during the survey period.