Binay regains lead, Poe suffers dip in 2016 race: Pulse Asia
ABS-CBN News
MANILA - Vice President Jejomar Binay has regained the lead in the 2016 presidential race, edging out previous frontrunner Senator Grace Poe who is now statistically tied at second place with Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, the latest Pulse Asia survey revealed Tuesday.
The survey, conducted last December 4-11, 2015, showed 33% of respondents saying they would vote for Binay as president of the Philippines if the 2016 elections were held today.
This is 14 percentage points higher than 19% voter support that Binay got in the last Pulse Asia survey in September.
Duterte, who announced last month his intention to run for president, landed in second place with 23 percent support from voters. This is seven percentage points higher than the 16% support he got in September.
He is followed by Sen. Grace Poe with 21%, down from 26% in the September survey.
Pulse Asia noted that Duterte and Poe are now sharing second place.
Former senator and Liberal Party standard bearer Mar Roxas is at fourth place with 17% (down from 20% in the September survey) while Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago is at fifth place with 4%.
The Pulse Asia survey has a probability sample of 1,800 registered voters 18 years old and above. The nationwide survey has a ± 2% error margin at the 95% confidence level. Subnational estimates for the geographic areas covered in the survey have the following error margins at 95% confidence level: ± 6% for Metro Manila, ±3% for the rest of Luzon and ±5% for each of Visayas and Mindanao.
The survey was conducted after the Commission on Elections First and Second Divisions ruled in favor of petitions seeking to cancel Poe's certificate of candidacy on the basis of her failure to meet citizenship and residency requirements for presidential candidates.
Poe's camp is seeking to appeal the decisions before the Comelec en banc and the Supreme Court.
The survey was also conducted after Duterte filed his certificate of candidacy as the official candidate of the Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan last November 27, 2015, following the withdrawal from the presidential race of VACC chairman Martin Dino.
The survey showed Binay taking the lead in Balance Luzon (34%), Visayas (34%) and National Capital Region (30%).
Duterte is the clear favorite among voters in Mindanao, with 43% support from respondents.
He also has 27% support among voters in NCR.
Poe has 29% voter support in Balance Luzon and 21% in NCR. She got 15% support in Visayas and 11% in Mindanao.
Roxas got 27% support in the Visayas, 16% support in Balance Luzon and 13% support in Mindanao.
ESCUDERO, MARCOS
Meanwhile, Sen. Francis Escudero continued to enjoy the lead in the vice-presidential race, with 29% of voters saying they would choose him if elections were held today.
He is followed by Sen. Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. (23%), Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano (18%), Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo (14%) and Sen. Gregorio Honasan II (9%).