Former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte remained the frontrunners in the May 2022 presidential and vice presidential race, respectively, based on the latest Pulse Asia pre-election survey results released on Wednesday, April 6.
The non-commissioned Ulat ng Bayan survey, which was conducted from March 17 to 21 with 2,400 adult respondents nationwide, found few significant changes in voting figures between February 2022 and March 2022 for the presidential and vice presidential survey.
Marcos sustained his lead with 56 percent.
“The ex-lawmaker’s presidential bid is supported by near to sizeable majorities across geographic areas and socio-economic classes (48 percent to 64 percent and 52 percent to 56 percent, respectively),” Pulse Asia said in a statement.
Meanwhile, support for Vice President Leni Robredo has increased by nine percentage points to 24 percent.
Pulse Asia noted that the electoral support for Marcos eased in Class D (-5 percentage points) while Robredo’s voting figures increased not only in the Philippines as a whole (+9 percentage points) but also in the rest of Luzon (+14 percentage points), Mindanao (+9 percentage points), and Class D (+10 percentage points).
The other presidential contenders registered voter preferences of at most 8 percent—Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso (8 percent), Senator Manny Pacquiao (6 percent), Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson (2 percent), businessman Faisal Mangondato (1 percent), former Palace spokesperson Ernesto Abella (0.1 percent), cardiologist Jose Montemayor Jr. (0.05 percent), labor rights activist Leody De Guzman (0.02 percent), and former Defense chief Norberto Gonzales (0 percent).
Pulse Asia pointed out that 1 percent of likely voters are still undecided about whom to vote for as president, another 1 percent are not supporting any candidate for the post, and 0.5 percent refuse to identify their preferred presidential bet.
Top 2nd-choice presidential bet
Meanwhile, Domagoso posted the highest second-choice voter preference at 23 percent.
Lacson (13 percent), Pacquiao (13 percent), and Robredo (10 percent) shared 2nd place while the other presidential bets have second-choice voter preferences of at most 8 percent.
“Interestingly, 28 percent of likely voters do not have an alternative candidate for president. Indecision regarding their second choice for the post is expressed by 3 percent of likely voters,” Pulse Asia said.
The survey firm noted that it was only Pacquiao who experienced a notable movement in second-choice voting figures between February 2022 and March 2022—a 14-percentage point improvement in Class E.
“What changed significantly during this period is the percentage of those without an alternative presidential bet/are undecided on the matter of whom to vote for should their first-choice candidate withdraw from the elections/refuse to name their second-choice presidential candidate,” Pulse Asia said.
“Figures go up in the Philippines as a whole (+5 percentage points) as well as the rest of Luzon (+7 percentage points), the Visayas (+11 percentage points), and Class D (+8 percentage points) but a decline occurs in Metro Manila (-14 percentage points),” it added.
Sara still leads VP race
Pulse Asia’s latest survey found Duterte still leading in the vice-presidential race with 56 percent of the voter preference.
Duterte was the favored vice presidential candidate of “big pluralities to overwhelming majorities across geographic areas and socio-economic classes (44 percent to 83 percent and 55 percent to 63 percent, respectively).”
Senate President Vicente Sotto III has the support of 20 percent of likely voters while Senator Francis Pangilinan’s senatorial bid was backed by 15 percent.
The other vice-presidential bets register first-choice voter preferences of at most 5 percent.
“The rest of likely voters are undecided about whom to elect as the next Philippine vice-president (2 percent), are not voting for any candidate for the post (1 percent), or refuse to identify their choice for vice president (0.4 percent),” Pulse Asia said.
“For the period February 2022 to March 2022, the only marked changes in first-choice voter preferences for vice-president are recorded by Senate President Sotto and Senator Pangilinan. Support for the former eases in the rest of Luzon (-9 percentage points) while the reverse occurs in the latter’s case (+9 percentage points),” it added.
Sotto top alternative VP candidate
The Senate President has remained the top alternative choice for vice president with 34 percent of likely voters supporting him.
Second place in terms of second-choice voting figures was shared by Pangilinan (14 percent) and physician Willie Ong (11 percent).
The other vice presidential candidates have second-choice voting figures of at most 7 percent.
More than a quarter of likely voters (28 percent) do not have an alternative candidate for the post.
In addition, 3 percent were undecided about their second choice for vice president.
“Overall second-choice voting figures remain essentially unchanged between February 2022 and March 2022 but there is a six-percentage point increase in the percentage of those without an alternative vice presidential bet/are ambivalent on the matter/refuse to name their second-choice candidate for the post,” Pulse Asia said.
It noted that the most significant change in second-choice voter preferences from February 2022 to March 2022 was recorded by Duterte—-an 8-percentage point drop in her voting figure in the rest of Luzon.
“However, as is the case with alternative presidential preferences, there is also an increase in the percentage of likely voters in the rest of Luzon (+11 percentage points), the Visayas (+11 percentage points), and Class D (+6 percentage points) who do not have a second choice for vice-president/are ambivalent on the matter/refuse to name their alternative vice-presidential candidate. The reverse may be noted in Metro Manila (-13 percentage points),” the survey firm explained.