Pulse survey inconclusive – Grace

MANILA, Philippines - The recent Pulse Asia survey which showed Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is the leading candidate for president in Metro Manila is inconclusive, the camp of Sen. Grace Poe said yesterday.

“There is more to the Philippines than Metro Manila… it is inconclusive and not reflective of the sentiments of the country,” Poe’s spokesman Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian said.

The poll, conducted from Nov. 11 to 12, showed 34 percent of the respondents said they would vote for Duterte.

Duterte’s rating was up by seven points from 27 percent in September. Poe came in second with 26 percent, down from 31 percent.

Binay got 22 percent, Liberal Party standard bearer Mar Roxas 11 percent and Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago seven percent. 

The survey was conducted before Duterte declared he would run for president, but the list of candidates shown to respondents included the Davao City mayor.

Pulse Asia research director Ana Maria Tabunda said the respondents were also informed of a resolution of the Commission on Elections, which provides that a candidate who withdraws his candidacy may be substituted by another belonging to or nominated by the same political party on or before Dec.  10.

On Oct. 29, Martin Diño withdrew his candidacy as president under the PDP-Laban and named Duterte as his substitute.

Work harder

Poe’s  camp vowed to work harder to inform the voters of Poe’s platform. 

“Our resolve is to continue our drive to explain to the electorate Sen. Poe’s advocacy of inclusive governance,” Gatchalian said.

“Surveys give us a snap shot of people’s sentiments at a given point in time. Sentiments change regularly depending on what message people hear,” he added.

Another commissioned survey of Pulse Asia, taken from Oct. 18 to 29, showed Poe as the leading presidential candidate for 2016 with 39 percent. 

Malacañang was unfazed by the results of the survey, which it said serves to heighten the interest of the public in the electoral process.  – With Helen Flores, Delon Porcalla