‘Wow,’ de Lima says after ranking 7th in SWS survey

JUSTICE Secretary Leila de Lima called as “very heartening piece of good news” the recent SWS survey result where she ranked number 7 among the preferred senatorial aspirants.

“Wow! Well, it is a very heartening piece of good news,” de Lima told reporters.

However, she still played coy on her definite plans next year.

“Pero ang alam ko, in the next few days ata magkakaroon ng announcement [ang Liberal Party], so I don’t want to be preempting the official announcement from the party of the administration,” she said.

Last month, while not categorically saying she will run for the Senate, de Lima said during her birthday message that it’s time to begin her journey from “J” to “S.” Some people took the message as from being “Justice Secretary” to being a “Senator.”

Still, the Justice Chief said she is still not at 100 percent.

But de Lima said if she is included in the senatorial ticket of the LP, then “that would be 100 percent already.”

In the SWS survey conducted from September 2 to 5, de Lima got 33 percent at number 7.

Senator Vicente Sotto III ranked first with 54 percent followed by former senator Panfilo Lacson with 47 percent and Sen. Ralph Recto with 43 percent. Recto is followed by Drilon with 42 percent followed by Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

Number six is Senator Francis Pangilinan with 40 percent while former Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri got 32 percent and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao got 30 percent.

In the survey, 1,200 respondents were given a list of 44 names to choose from but were only allowed to pick 12 names from the roster.