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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Vico Sotto dominates early 2028 Senate race survey with 61%—research firm

Vico Sotto dominates early 2028 Senate race survey with 61%—research firm

Published Jul 26, 2025 07:30 pm
(PHOTO: VICO SOTTO FACEBOOK PAGE)
(PHOTO: VICO SOTTO FACEBOOK PAGE)
Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto is the top contender in the 2028 senatorial race, leading all potential candidates with a commanding 61.0 percent voter preference, a pre-election survey conducted by research firm Tangere showed.
Sotto, who is in his final term as Pasig mayor, emerged as the leading candidate in all 17 regions of the country. 
The survey suggests that he could exceed 30 million votes, setting a potential record for a Senate seat.
Tangere’s non-commissioned survey, conducted from July 18 to 20, sampled 2,400 respondents through a mobile-based platform using stratified random sampling. 
The results have a ±1.96 percent margin of error at a 95 percent confidence level.
(COURTESY: TANGERE)
(COURTESY: TANGERE)
Trailing behind Sotto is Senator Raffy Tulfo, who garnered 55.26 percent support, driven by voters in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal. 
Former Senator Grace Poe ranked third with 46.05 percent, supported mainly by voters in MIMAROPA and Central Luzon.
Statistically tied for fourth to sixth place are Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero, Senator Loren Legarda, and Davao City Representative Paolo Duterte. Their support came primarily from voters in Southern Luzon, the Bicol Region, the Davao Region, and Northern Mindanao.
The remaining candidates in the Top 15, according to Tangere, include Senator Alan Peter Cayetano with 34.80 percent (ranked 6–7), media executive Ben ‘Bitag’ Tulfo with 32.22 percent (ranked 8), Senator Robin Padilla with 30.08 percent (ranked 9–10), former DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos with 29.00 percent (ranked 9–11), DepEd Secretary and former Senator Sonny Angara with 27.65 percent (ranked 10–13), former Senator Bong Revilla with 26.74 percent (ranked 11–14), DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian with 25.87 percent (ranked 12–15), Senator Jinggoy Estrada with 25.00 percent (ranked 12–15), and former Makati City mayor Abby Binay with 24.60 percent (ranked 13–15).
Two sitting senators, JV Ejercito (Ranked 18th) and Mark Villar (Ranked 25th), failed to break into the top 15, Tangere said.
A total of 42 names were included in the early list of potential senatorial candidates. 
Per Tangere, the survey covered all major island groups, with 12 percent of respondents from NCR, 23 percent from Northern Luzon, 22 percent from Southern Luzon, 20 percent from the Visayas, and 23 percent from Mindanao.
Tangere is a Philippine-based research company accredited by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), and a member of the Marketing and Opinion Research Society of the Philippines (MORES), the European Society for Opinion and Market Research (ESOMAR), and the Philippine Association of National Advertisers (PANA).
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