MANILA — Broadcaster Raffy Tulfo topped Pulse Asia's latest survey on the Filipinos' preferred senatorial candidates for the 2022 national elections.

Tulfo led the list of preferred candidates with 55.2 percent backing among respondents.

He was followed by former House Speaker Alan Cayetano, who is considering a presidential run, with 53.6 percent.

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Also among the strong contenders for a Senate seat are former senators Sorsogon Governor Francis “Chiz” Escudero with 47.9 percent, and Antique Representative Loren Legarda with 47.2 percent.

Presidential aspirants Franciso "Isko Moreno" Domagoso (42.3 percent), Manny Pacquiao (42.2 percent) and Panfilo Lacson (40.5 percent) were also revealed to be strong Senate contenders.

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Domagoso and Pacquiao share the 5th to 8th places, according to the survey. Lacson, meanwhile, shares the 5th to 9th places with former senator Bongbong Marcos, who got a 40.2 percent backing.

Pacquiao was the top Senate bet in a similar Pulse Asia poll conducted in April.

TV host Willie Revillame also got 36.6 percent backing (7th to 10th places) from the survey's respondents.

Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar received 36.2 percent backing (9th to 10th places), followed by former Vice President Jejomar Binay with 29.5 percent (11th to 15th places), and former senator Jinggoy Estrada with 29.4 percent (11th to 15th places).

Former senator Bam Aquino and Senator Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri received 28.3 percent backing each (11th to 18th places), while Senator Francis Pangilinan with 26.8 percent (11th to 19th places).

WHAT ACCOUNTS FOR THEIR POPULARITY?

In previous elections, media personalities like Loren Legarda and Noli de Castro also topped election surveys, said Pulse Asia president Ronald Holmes.

"Involvement in media automatically translates into being known by the public. And in that regard, especially if you're projecting an image that you're helping or assisting people with grievances, that might actually help some of the candidates," he told ABS-CBN News.

"In this case, it definitely it may have contributed or contributed to the support that is now lodged, at least in the last survey, for the commentator Raffy Tulfo," he added.

Tulfo has 21.7 million YouTube subscribers. Legarda topped the 1998 Senatorial race, while de Castro led the 2001 Senate race.

Pulse Asia said the survey was conducted from Sept. 6 to 11 using face-to-face interviews with 2,400 respondents.

The survey had a ± 2 percent margin of error at the 95 percent confidence level, the pollster said.

— With a report from RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News

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