Miriam Santiago is top presidential bet in PUP online poll

NEVER SAY DIE After recovering from stage 4 lung cancer, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago goes all in with another make-or-break run for the presidency. She unveiled her political plan at the relaunch of her book, “Stupid is Forevermore.” KIMBERLY DELA CRUZ

Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago proves to be the popular choice of the “Iskolar ng Bayan” as she gained a wide lead over other presidential bets in an online poll being conducted by the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP).

According to the partial results of the survey posted on October 21 on the university’s Facebook fan page, Santiago got 71.3 percent of some 80,000 votes cast.

The senator’s rivals are way behind her: Senator Grace Poe gained 12.4 percent of the total votes; former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, 11.9 percent and Vice President Jejomar Binay, 3.2 percent.

In a statement, Santiago said that the results of the survey show that her presidential run is backed by the Filipino youth.

“The youth have always been my formidable allies. When I first ran for president in 1992, our campaign was fueled by the hopes and dreams of young Filipinos who wanted reform. This survey shows that I can replicate that in 2016,” Santiago said.

The senator also said that she hopes that the youth vote will carry her to Malacanang.

“In 1992, it was the young people who taught the old people, ‘Vote for Miriam because she’s the voice of the new.’ I hope this voice will be resurrected, and in fact will prevail in this election,” she added.

The poll, which supposedly counts unique votes only, was launched on October 19, three days after the deadline of the filing of certificates of candidacy (COC).

The 2016 elections will mark Santiago’s third shot at the presidency after losing in the 1992 and 1998 polls.

The senator will hold a meet-and-greet for her supporters on Monday in UP Diliman. AJH