The camp of Vice President Leni Robredo on Wednesday, April 6, remained optimistic about her chances in the upcoming May elections, noting that the latest Pulse Asia survey results showed the “turning of the tide” in her bid for the presidency.
In the Pulse Asia survey, conducted from March 17 to 22 with 2,400 respondents, Robredo gained by nine points from 15 percent in February, but she is still a far second behind frontrunner former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The nine-point increase is the first time her survey numbers increased in the past two months since the campaign started on Feb. 8.
“The survey numbers are starting to reflect what we have been seeing on the ground all along: the massive crowds, the fierce passion, the untiring commitment of Filipinos from all walks of life, coming together to rally behind Leni Robredo's bid for the Presidency,” lawyer Barry Gutierrez, Robredo’s spokesman, said in a series of tweets.
Gutierrez emphasized the momentum that the Vice President has gained.
“This 13-point swing going into the last two months of the campaign clearly establishes what we have long known: that VP Leni has the momentum, which we expect will only further intensify and accelerate all the way to May 9. What we are seeing now is the turning of the tide,” he added.
The Pulse Asia’s latest survey showed former Marcos Jr.’s numbers dropping by four points to 56 percent.
The survey covers the first Comelec-sponsored debate, the CNN debate, and the mammoth rallies in Cavite, Negros Occidental, Surigao, Butuan, Cagayan, Isabela, Basilan, General Santos, Zamboanga City, and Pasig.
READ: Bongbong, Sara still survey frontrunners — Pulse Asia
The biggest of these rallies, the PasigLaban, reportedly attracted a crowd of more than 130,000, although local police put this at 90,000.
Robredo’s massive rallies are seen as a turning point in the groundswell of support for her.
Though Marcos remains the survey frontrunner with a 32-point lead, Gutierrez remains confident that Robredo’s supporters will move mountains to get her elected.
“Sa tulong ng ating mga kababayang patuloy na kumikilos, kumakatok, nakikiusap, nangungumbinsi, ipapanalo natin ito (With the help of our countrymen who continue to mobilize, knock, plead, convince, we will win this),” he said.
Meanwhile, the Vice President’s Google Trends numbers also pulled away from Marcos even in the so-called “Solid North.”
Google Trends measures voters’ interest towards a certain candidate.
As of April 1, Robredo was ahead of Marcos, 51.3 to 34.3 when it comes to overall Google Trends score where most of the searches associated with the Vice President are about her personal details, platforms, and programs.
The searches showed that voters have a significant interest in her candidacy.
READ: Robredo leads in presidential race based on Facebook analytics
This is a leap for Robredo, who previously only edged out Marcos by a slight margin—52 versus 51—when the campaign period started on Feb. 8.
Her lead peaked on March 21 when she obtained a score of 100 compared to Marcos’ 61.
Even in Marcos’ bailiwick of Ilocos Region, Google Trends showed a significant interest in the Vice President with a score of 41 against the former lawmaker’s 34.
In “Solid North” provinces of Cagayan Valley and Cordillera Administrative Region, Robredo had a slight edge of 39-31 and 39-34, respectively.
Robredo also led Marcos in the National Capital Region (42-26); Bicol Region (51-23); Western Visayas (43-26), Central Luzon (41-29); Eastern Visayas (42-29); Calabarzon (41-28); Central Visayas (41-28); Caraga (44-26); Mimaropa (40-29); Northern Mindanao (38-30); Region XII (33-31); Zamboanga Peninsula (36-34); and Davao Region (37-32).
Compared to ground surveys, Google is considered a more accurate measurement of political behavior since it is private and free from posturing and could reflect people’s true intentions.