Vice President Sara Duterte remains the top choice for president among a majority of Filipinos, while Senator Christopher “Bong” Go leads preferred vice-presidential candidates, according to a Pulse Asia survey released on Monday, October 12.
The non-commissioned nationwide survey, conducted from September 17 to 24 among 2,400 adult respondents, showed Vice President Duterte securing 50 percent of voter preference for president despite her ongoing Senate impeachment trial. Former Vice President and Naga City Mayor Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo ranked second with 26 percent, followed by Senator Raffy Tulfo at 12 percent and Senator Risa Hontiveros at 3 percent.
Trailing in the presidential field were Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. (1 percent), Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon (1 percent) and Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong (0.3 percent). Undecided respondents and those refusing or declining to name a candidate accounted for 7 percent combined.
Geographically, Duterte commanded dominant support in Mindanao at 92 percent, the Visayas at 56 percent, and the National Capital Region (NCR) at 40 percent. Robredo led in the Rest of Luzon with 36 percent to Duterte’s 28 percent. Across socio-economic classes, Duterte placed first across all tiers, scoring highest among Class E at 68 percent.
In five alternative two-way and three-way scenarios tested by Pulse Asia, Duterte maintained a strong lead in all matchups, obtaining between 52 percent and 60 percent of total voter preferences.
In the vice-presidential race, Senator Bong Go emerged as the leading choice, garnering 31 percent nationwide. He was followed by Senator Robin Padilla at 19 percent, Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino at 17 percent, former Senator Grace Poe at 14 percent, Senator Erwin Tulfo at 10 percent, Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan at 3 percent and MMDA General Manager Nicolas “Nic” Torre III at 0.3 percent.
Go topped vice-presidential preferences in Mindanao (55 percent), the Visayas (37 percent) and NCR (26 percent), while Aquino led in the Rest of Luzon at 26 percent.
Pulse Asia also evaluated 66 potential senatorial contenders, with former Senator Grace Poe leading the top 12 preferences at 50.2 percent, closely followed by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano (46.5 percent), Senator Robin Padilla (45.9 percent), and Senator Erwin Tulfo (44.4 percent). Rounding out the top 12 were Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, former Senator Manny Pacquiao, Senator Loren Legarda, Makati Mayor Nancy Binay, Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero, Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, Ben Tulfo and TIEZA COO Mark Lapid.