MANILA, Philippines – Former Quezon City mayor Herbert Bautista of the Marcos-Duterte Uniteam slate has entered the Magic 12 of the latest Pulse Asia survey conducted February 18 to 23 and released Monday, March 14.

Bautista was the new name, placing last in the so-called Magic 12 with 32.8% rating. Reelectionist Risa Hontiveros of opposition Akbayan and former senator JV Ejercito are above the red line because their ratings, 32.3% and 31.6% respectively, are still considered at 12-14.

Bautista was at the 14-16 line in Pulse Asia’s January survey, and in the 17-19 line in December. Voters will elect 12 new senators come May to complete the Senate composed of 24.

Broadcaster Raffy Tulfo, who made a name for his program addressing common people’s troubles, many of them legal woes, retained the top spot at 66.9% rating.

Loren Legarda and Mark Villar, also part of Uniteam slate, are second and third with 58.9% and 56.2% ratings respectively.

The other senatorial bets in the so-called Magic 12 are former senators Alan Peter Cayetano, Miguel Zubiri, Chiz Escudero, with actor Robin Padilla, former vice president Jejomar Binay, Senators Sherwin Gatchalian, Joel Villanueva, and former senator and plunder defendant Jinggoy Estrada.

Former senators Richard Gordon and Gringo Honasan have yet to go above the red line. Gordon, part of the slate of Vice President Leni Robredo, is just below Ejercito with 27.3%. Uniteam’s Honasan rated 26.5%.

Below Gordon and Ejercito are Uniteam’s Gilbert Teodoro and Harry Roque, and opposition’s Antonio Trillanes IV, former police chief Guillermo Eleazar, and human rights lawyer Chel Diokno of the Robredo slate.

Senator Leila De Lima, seeking reelection from jail, is the 23rd name with a rating of 11.4%, just a single notch above suspended lawyer Larry Gadon of Uniteam. – Rappler.com