By Vanne Elaine Terrazola
Senators who made it to the top of the Pulse Asia survey on May 2019 senatorial elections were grateful for the public's supposed support in their bid for reelection.
Sen. Grace Poe assured to work harder after ranking first in Pulse Asia's June 2018 poll which predicted the 13 out of the 58 possible senatorial candidates will have a chance of winning in the 2019 midterm polls.
Poe garnered a 67.4-percent voter preference and a 99- percent voter awareness.
"We are grateful for the trust of our kababayans. The survey is about trust and approval for public service that ought to be felt, especially by the poor," Poe said in a statement Monday.
Poe also noted that the survey results shows the "people’s affirmation for the work of the women in politics."
"We owe our post to the Filipino people. Working hard to make life better for them is our chance of paying it forward," she added.
Sen. Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara, who placed fifth in the survey, echoed Poe's statement as he thanked the pubilc.
"We are thankful to the people and will continue to work hard on giving them hope and opportunity," Angara said.
For Sen. Francis Pangilinan, Liberal Party (LP) president, the survey results may still change. LP's Sen. Bam Aquino was the lone opposition member who made it in the top 13 senatorial candidates.
"The election is still in may marami pang mababago dyan. The same period, three years ago merong nasa ranking ng 20-25 pero naipanalo ang kandidatura nila. It's too early to tell," Pangilinan told reporters in an interview in Pasig.
Pangilinan said the LP "will just work harder" to make voters understand their advocacies. The supposed "Resistance" coalition of administration critics are still meeting about their election plans, he added.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III shared Pangilinan's sentiments.
"We are 10 months away from the election, That's nothing to worry about, you should campaign," he said.