MANILA - Eleven of the 12 probable winners of the senatorial race are either former or incumbent lawmakers, according to the latest ABS-CBN-Pulse Asia survey.

The March 15-20 survey showed Senator Vicente Sotto III and Senate President Franklin Drilon leading the 50 candidates vying for a Senate seat. They scored 53.6 percent and 51.0 percent, respectively.

Sotto, Drilon, Senator Sergio Osmeña III (34.2%) and Senator Ralph Recto (32.8%) are among the four re-electionists who have a statistical chance of making it in the "Magic 12."

Meanwhile, four candidates in the top 12 are aiming for a Senate comeback: former senators Francis Pangilinan (47.6%), Panfilo Lacson (45.2%), Juan Miguel Zubiri (40%) and Richard Gordon (36%).

The rest of the top candidates are mostly former or incumbent lawmakers:

• Sarangani Representative Emmanuel Pacquiao (35.7%)
• former Akbayan party-list Representative Risa Hontiveros (34.3%)
• former TESDA director Joel Villanueva (34%)

The only candidate in the top 12 with no background in Congress is former Justice Secretary Leila De Lima.

Pulse Asia said only 5.6 percent of registered voters are not voting for any senatorial candidate.

The polling firm added that only 35 percent of the respondents have already chosen the full 12 bets needed to complete a slate. It said respondents named an average of 7 preferred bets for the elections.

The survey covered 4,000 registered voters with biometrics nationwide. It has an error margin of ± 1.5 percent.

READ: Poe regains solo lead in ABS-CBN Pulse Asia survey