MANILA, Philippines – (3rd UPDATE) Senator Grace Poe retained the top post in the latest presidential preference survey conducted by Pulse Asia from August 27 to September 3.

Although Poe dropped 3 percentage points from the last survey in June, a report from ABS-CBN showed she was still ahead of all possible presidential candidates, with 27% of respondents saying they would vote for her if the elections were held at the time of polling. 

Pulse Asia released its survey after a poll by rival firm Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed a possible 3-way tie between Poe, Vice President Jejomar Binay, and administration candidate Manuel Roxas II. 

But the SWS survey is more recent, conducted between September 2 and 5. The survey period of Pulse Asia may have partly missed the impact of Poe’s August 28 statement defending the Iglesia ni Cristo protest rally that caused massive traffic in the country’s capital region. Poe suffered her worst backlash online.

In a statement sent to the media on Friday, September 25, Poe expressed her “sincerest gratitude to the people for their unwavering trust and support.” She also said, “I am honored and humbled by the results of the latest Pulse Asia survey. Surveys help us check if we’re on the right track, but we derive our inspiration from the needs and aspirations of our countrymen, with or without surveys.”

Vice President Jejomar Binay followed Poe with 21%, one point lower than his previous survey figure.

Binay’s spokesperson for political affairs, lawyer Rico Quicho, said in a statement that the results encouraged the Vice President to continue working hard.

“The Vice President remains grateful and humbled by the people’s continued trust and support. Rest assured that he will continue to work hard. The people deserve genuine change in how their government works and in their lives and the Vice President is committed to this goal,” said Quicho.

Administration standard-bearer Manuel Roxas II got 18%, up by 8 points from his 10% rating in June. Of the 3 candidates, he registered the highest increase from the last poll.

The survey, commissioned by media company ABS-CBN, was conducted among 1,200 respondents nationwide. It had a margin of error of ±3.

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo dropped to 4th place. He, however, retained his 15% score from the previous survey, even as he earlier announced he had no plans to run for president in 2016.

Respondents were allowed to mention preferred presidential contenders who were not on the list presented in the Pulse Asia survey. Other names mentioned were Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, former president and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, Senator Miriam Santiago, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, and former Senator Panfilo Lacson. Of the 8, only Estrada and Santiago had no television advertisements to date.

The survey period covered the time the Iglesia ni Cristo held rallies that paralyzed traffic in some Metro Manila areas, and Poe and her running mate Senator Francis Escudero drew flak for defending the bloc-voting religious organization.

This was also two weeks before Poe and Escudero formally declared their respective candidacies and a month after Aquino endorsed Roxas as his bet.

Poe, Escudero still top 2 VP choices

Meanwhile, Poe and Escudero continue to lead in the vice presidential survey. Poe’s numbers dropped from the previous survey, even before she announced she was seeking the presidency.

The two are in a statistical tie, with Escudero leaping by 10 points to 25% from June’s 15%. 

Other names mentioned as preferred vice presidential contenders were Nationalista Party members Marcos and Cayetano and Liberal Party member and Camarines Sur Representative Leni Robredo.

Calls within the LP for Robredo to be Roxas’ running mate grew stronger after Poe finally declared her bid against Roxas in 2016. Robredo, however, remains unsure of her 2016 plans to date, even as President Benigno Aquino III already talked to her and her family. – Rappler.com