Sotto leads senatorial survey

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Vicente Sotto III continues to lead the 2016 senatorial race, according to the latest survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) and the newspaper BusinessWorld.

Sotto obtained 59 percent, up five points from 54 percent in September.

The survey, taken from Dec. 12 to 14, used face-to-face interviews with 1,200 respondents nationwide.

Tied for the second and third spots were Sen. Ralph Recto and former senator Francis Pangilinan with 56 percent each. Recto’s rating rose by 13 points while Pangilinan’s jumped by 16 points.

Occupying the fourth slot was former senator Panfilo Lacson with 46 percent from 47 percent, followed by former senator Juan Miguel Zubiri with 40 percent (from 32 percent) and Senate President Franklin Drilon with 39 percent (from 42 percent).

Sen. Sergio Osmeña III placed seventh with 38 percent (from 28 percent), followed by boxing champion and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao with 37 percent (from 30 percent) and former justice secretary Leila de Lima with 35 percent (from 33 percent).

Former senator Richard Gordon took the 10th spot with 32 percent from 29 percent, followed by Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso, who got the biggest increase from four percent to 30 percent.

Sen. Teofisto Guingona III grabbed the 12th place with 28 percent from 23 percent.

Former Akbayan representative Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel occupied the 13th spot with 26 percent (from 21 percent), followed by former Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Francis Tolentino with 24 percent (from 10 percent), Valenzuela City Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian with 21 percent (from 10 percent).

Former Technical Education and Skills Development Authority director general Joel Villanueva was in 16th place with 20 percent (from 12 percent), followed by former Pampanga governor Mark Lapid who got 19 percent and actor Edu Manzano who obtained 15 percent.

Lapid and Manzano were ranked 17th and 18th, respectively. They were not included in the SWS September survey.

Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and Parañaque City councilor Alma Moreno obtained 13 percent each and placed 19th to 20th, respectively. Romualdez’s September rating was eight percent.

The survey used sampling error margins of plus or minus three percentage points.

Reacting to the survey result, Vice Mayor Moreno said he was “so thankful for the trust that our fellow Filipinos are giving me.” He said that while his ranking has sharply jumped “my journey is still very far away.” He said he is aware of the challenges ahead as many of his rivals in the race are from prominent families or are reelectionists.

Moreno, national president of the Vice Mayors League of the Philippines (VMLP), noted that previous surveys used his real name Domagoso instead of Moreno.

He attributed his dramatic rise in survey ranking to his frequent visits to various far-flung areas in the country, cross-party support from local officials and “most especially to the Filipino people and my fellow Manileños who continue to trust me and support me.” – Helen Flores, Jose Rodel Clapano