The camp of presidential aspirant Vice President Leni Robredo believes the 2022 elections is a head-to-head fight between her and former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Robredo’s spokesman Barry Gutierrez said it is clear the upcoming polls will be a “Marcos versus Robredo contest” after the latest Pulse Asia survey firmed up the two candidates’ rivalry.
Marcos emerged as the top pick for president of 53 percent of respondents in the results of the survey conducted from Dec. 6 to 11. Trailing behind him was Robredo with 20 percent of the respondents.
Coming at third place were Manila Mayor Isko Moreno and Senator Manny Pacquiao, who are tied with 8 percent each.
They were followed by Senator Panfilo Lacson in the fourth spot with six percent of the respondents.
The Vice President saw an increase of more than double in her ranking in the September pre-election survey released by Pulse Asia where she only got 8 percent.
READ: Marcos most preferred 2022 presidential pick in Pulse Asia survey
Gutierrez said the 12-point rise in Robredo’s rating was “definitive affirmation of the energy and momentum of the people's campaign” since she announced her candidacy on Oct. 7.
“We are confident that in the next four months, VP Leni's consistent, hands-on leadership and the enthusiastic efforts of our volunteers, will continue to broaden and increase her support,” he added.
“Simula pa lang ito. Ipapanalo natin ito (This is just a start. We will win this fight),” Gutierrez said.
Robredo and Marcos first faced off during the 2016 vice presidential race with the former winning by a small margin of 200,000 votes.
That time, the Vice President had the whole machinery of the then-ruling Liberal Party (LP) at her disposal, which Marcos’ camp used to accuse Robredo of cheating in the polls.
The former senator’s electoral protest, however, was junked by the Supreme Court (SC) in February this year and despite saying that he will file a motion for reconsideration, Marcos never went around to doing so.
Instead, he filed his Certificate of Candidacy (COC) for president, aiming to return his family’s name to power.