Pulse Asia survey shows 5-way presidential race

MANILA, Philippines - If the May 2010 elections were held today, it will be a five-way race, a new survey by pollster Pulse Asia showed. Topping the survey conducted during the period Oct. 14 to 27 were Vice President Manuel "Noli" de Castro Jr., former President Joseph Estrada, ousted Senate President Manuel Villar Jr., and Senators Francis Escudero and Loren Legarda. "Filipinos still do not have a clear choice for the post of president in the May 2010 elections with five probable contenders registering almost the similar overall voter preferences (13% to 18%)," Pulse Asia said on its Website. De Castro topped the nationwide survey with 18%, with Estrada and Villar (17%) close behind. Escudero got 15% while Legarda got 13%. At sixth place was Sen. Panfilo Lacson (7%), Sen. Manuel Roxas II (6%), and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairman Bayani Fernando and television evangelist Eduardo "Eddie" Villanueva (1% each). But while de Castro still topped the race, he fell four percentage points from July 2008 where he got 22%. Estrada gained one percentage point; Villar five, and Lacson and Roxas two. While it was also a five-way race in the rest of Luzon, in the Visayas it was a three-way contest among de Castro (22%), Legarda (21%), and Villar (18%). In Metro Manila, the leading bet is Escudero (22%), with Villar coming second (16%), and Estrada and Lacson next (13%). In Mindanao, the "clear choice" is Estrada (30%). Those belonging to the poorest Class E also favor Estrada, while Villar (19%) and Escudero (17%) topped the best-off Class ABC. In the most numerous Class D, de Castro (18%), (18%), and Escudero (17%) were the preferred candidates. "Filipinos' presidential preferences hardly change between July and October 2008," Pulse Asia said. At best, marginal changes may be noted in the overall voter preferences of Senate President Villar (+5 percentage points) and Vice-President de Castro (-4 percentage points) during this period, it said. - GMANews.TV