Opposition figures to dominate senatorial race — survey

Opposition personalities led by former senator Loren Legarda will likely dominate next year’s senatorial race, based on the latest Pulse Asia survey.

Legarda topped the survey with 52.9 percent, followed by Sen. Panfilo Lacson with 41.1 percent; Senate Majority Leader Francis Pangilinan, 36.6 percent; Senate President Manuel Villar Jr., 31.4 percent; and Taguig Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano, 30.5 percent.

Completing the top 12 were former senator Vicente Sotto III, 30.3 percent; Sen. Ralph Recto, 28.7 percent; broadcast journalist Korina Sanchez, 27 percent; lawyer Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, 24.8 percent; jailed former senator Gregorio Honasan, 24.1 percent; San Juan Mayor JV Ejercito, 22.1 percent; and Sen. Edgardo Angara, 20.3 percent.

Malacañang meanwhile dismissed results of the survey showing opposition front-runners. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita maintained the palace would not deviate from its "Charter change mode" and just let administration officials and allies with senatorial ambitions to work on their own for now.

He said this would include palace chief of staff Michael Defensor who ranked 19th in a list of 62 possible candidates presented to respondents.

Pulse Asia said given the survey’s margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points, the following individuals also have a statistical chance of winning: Tarlac Rep. Benigno Aquino III, 19.3 percent; House Minority Leader Francis Escudero, 19.3 percent; former senator John Osmeña, 17.8 percent; Muntinlupa Rep. Rozzano Rufino Biazon, 17.8 percent; Ilocos Norte Rep. Imee Marcos, 17.6 percent; Sen. Joker Arroyo 17 percent; and Sen. Luisa Estrada 16.9 percent.

Dr. Ana Maria Tabunda, Pulse Asia executive director, said Pulse Asia undertook the survey on its own initiative and that no religious, political, economic or any other form of partisanship had been allowed to influence the survey results and the subsequent analyses of the findings.

The survey was conducted between Oct. 21 and Nov. 8, or at a time when news headlines painted a negative picture of the Arroyo administration. — With Aurea Calica