Sara's Pulse Asia lead shows want for 'stability,' says spox; Leni, Ping also thankful

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte's  continued hold on the top spot in Pulse Asia's presidential preference survey showed Filipinos wanted "stable leadership in these uncertain times", her spokesperson said on Wednesday.

In a statement, Liloan, Cebu Mayor Christina Frasco said Sara was thankful for the support indicated by the poll and would continue to listen to feedback on the ground.

The daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed support for her father's vice presidential bid and indicated that she would no longer run for the presidency.

“The latest Pulse Asia Survey reflects the people’s desire for stable leadership in these uncertain times," Frasco said.

"Owing to her courage and credibility as a leader who puts the people’s needs first, the people see in Mayor Sara the President that we need and the President that we can trust,” she added.

“She continues to listen to the people on the ground and she shares their goal of achieving recovery and progress for our nation,” Frasco said.

The filing of certificates of candidacy for the Eleksyon 2022 is scheduled from October 1 to 8.

Sara has announced that she had filed a leave of absence from the Davao City Hall on October 5 to 8. She said she was going to Singapore. 

Sara led the latest Pulse Asia survey with a 20 percentage points, followed by former Senator Bongbong Marcos, Jr. (15%) and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno (13%). 

Her rating, however, went down from previous 28% recorded in June.

Premature, says Isko's camp

Moreno's political party, Aksyon Demokratiko, argued that the Pulse Asia poll is premature given that the filing of candidacy is yet to start.

"It's a multi-race survey that is far-fetched from what will happen. I would rather look at the surveys again when it's already clear who the real contenders are," Aksyon Demokratiko's secretary general Ernest Ramel said in a statement.

"Meanwhile, we continue to receive streams of incumbent officials as well as challengers running in the 2022 elections under Aksyon," Ramel added.

Robredo, Pacquiao, Lacson react

The PDP-Laban faction led by Senator Koko Pimentel to which Pacquiao belongs said the survey results lived up to its expectation.

"As predicted, paakyat na (our numbers are rising)," Pimentel said in a separate statement.

Vice President Leni Robredo's spokesman Barry Gutierrez said the opposition leader's 8% rating was still a welcome development.

“We are grateful for the continued trust and support for Vice President Leni," Gutierrez said.

"She has worked tirelessly throughout this pandemic, and it is good to know that many of our fellow Filipinos see and appreciate this, despite the unrelenting campaign of fake news and lies against her,” he added.

Senator Panfilo Lacson is likewise optimistic even with his 6 percentage points.

“We’re doing alright. We have our own tracking. We are not even thinking of recalibrating our strategy,” Lacson said.

Lacson’s running mate, Senate President Vicente Sotto III, topped the same poll among possible Vice Presidential bets for 2022 with a 25% score, even beating President Duterte who only mustered 14%.

“It goes without saying that I am not questioning the results of the Pulse Asia survey even as I congratulate Senate President Sotto, my running mate, for topping the latest vice-presidential survey,” Lacson said. -NB, GMA News