The camp of senatorial candidate Salvador "Sal" Panelo has highlighted the former chief presidential legal counsel's enormous jump in voter preference based on Pulse Asia’s survey covering March 17 to 21, 2022.
Results of the survey showed that Panelo's voter preference sat at 9.2 percent, up from 4.2 percent during a February 23, 2022.
Panelol's camp noted that this was a 119 percent increase, "which was easily the biggest improvement of any Senatorial candidate over the same period".
Aside from the "astounding" Pulse Asia result, Team Panelo also cited the candidate's surge as reflected in the Manila Bulletin-Tangere survey held on March 29 to April 1, 2022, which put Panelo at 17th place with a 26.04 percent voting preference.
Panelo said in a Facebook post that this marked an almost 30 percent improvement from his January 2022 numbers, where he placed 22nd.
Panelo’s momentum is also clear from the Publicus senatorial survey held on March 30 to April 6, 2022, where he garnered a voting preference of 21.1 percent. Publicus Executive Director Aureli Sinsuat said that the survey suggests that “...there are now 11 candidates within striking distance of the final three senate seats,” which are still very much up for grabs with less than a month to go before the May 9 polls.
This includes Panelo, who placed 18th and “enter(ed) the competitive zone for the first time” since the filing of certificates of candidacies (COCs) in October 2021.
Panelo is a member of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), which his former boss, President Duterte.
Panelo recently had a public spat with showbiz personality, "Megastar" Sharon Cuneta, over the use of the song "Sana'y wala nang wakas" during his campaign sorties. The song is among Cuneta's signature songs.
The ex-Palace official's main advocacy is the protection special children or children with disabilities, as he is former father of one of these "little angels". He has also been vocal of his support of presidential candidate Bongbong Marcos after PDP-Laban adopted Marcos as its presidential bet.