Pulse Asia: VP Binay leads in June presidential survey

(Updated 3:45 p.m.) If the presidential elections were held last June, Vice President Jejomar Binay would have emerged the winner by a wide margin, according to a new survey by pollster Pulse Asia.

 

Pulse Asia's survey, conducted June 24 to July 2, had asked 1,200 respondents who among 11 personalities they would vote for as President if the 2016 elections were held at the time.

Incidentally, the Pulse Asia results came on the same day polllster Social Weather Stations said that public satisfaction of Binay, along with several government institutions, dipped in the second quarter of 2014.

 

Binay, who is presently housing czar and presidential adviser on overseas Filipino worker concerns, got 41 percent of the vote nationwide 
 

He also led in all geographic areas and classes, getting 44 percent of the vote in Metro Manila, 41 percent in Balance Luzon, 37 percent in Visayas and 42 percent in Mindanao.

 

Also, he got 36 percent of the vote among Class ABC, 42 percent among Class D, and 40 percent among Class E.

 

Sen. Grace Poe, who topped the senatorial race in 2013, was second with 12 percent of the overall votes for president.

 

Poe, who ran under the administration coalition's senatorial lineup last year, was second in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon and Visayas, and Classes D and E, but was fourth in Mindanao and third among Class ABC.

In April, Poe said she was not keen on seeking a higher post in 2016. 

 

Third in the list is former President and incumbent Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, who got 9 percent of the votes nationwide.

 

Estrada was third in almost all geographic areas and socioeconomic classes, but placed third in Mindanao and Class ABC.

 

Tied at fourth to sixth were Sen. Francis Escudero, Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II and Sen. Miriam Santiago with 7 percent of the overall vote.

 

However, Roxas was third in Visayas and Mindanao, and tied with Poe in Class ABC. He also edged Santiago in Classes D and E.

 

On the other hand, Santiago edged Roxas in Metro Manila and Balance Luzon and in Class ABC.

 

Tied at seventh and eighth were Sen. Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and Alan Peter Cayetano, with 5 percent overall each.

 

Marcos had the edge over Cayetano in Balance Luzon, Visayas and Class D, while Cayetano had the advantage over Marcos in Metro Manila, Mindanao, and Class ABC.

 

Rounding up the ninth to 11th places were:

 

 

Poe, Chiz lead vice presidential race

 

While she placed second to Binay in the presidential race, Poe topped the vice presidential race, though by a slim margin over Escudero.

 

In a field of 10 personalities, Poe got 26 percent overall while Escudero got 22 percent overall. Cayetano was third with 14 percent, Marcos with eight percent, and Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV with six percent.

 

Poe led Escudero in all geographic areas but Escudero edged her in Class ABC.

 

Others in the list included:

 

 

Jinggoy Estrada, who along with Revilla is detained at Philippine National Police Custodial Center in connection with the alleged P10-billion pork barrel scam, placed fourth among the Class E while Drilon placed fourth in the Visayas.

 

Former and incumbent senators lead senatorial race

 

Former and incumbent senators have a greater chance of snaring a Senate seat if the elections were held last June. The topnotchers (ranked 1 to 17) included:

 

 

Out of a possible top 12 finish were:

 

 

Other personalities in the senatoriable list included Robert "Ace" Barbers, Shalani Soledad, Joel Villanueva, Danilo Lim, Manuel Luis Quezon III, Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, Amina Rasul, Rodolfo "Jun" Lozada Jr., Lorenzo Tañada III, JC delos Reyes, Ace Durano, Albay Gov. Jose "Joey" Salceda, Gov. Mujiv Hataman, Rudy Fariñas, Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almedras, Luis Raymond Villafuerte Jr., Reynaldo Umali, Neri Colmenares, Commission on Human Rights head Loretta Ann Rosales, and Danton Remoto.

 

The survey involved interviews with 1,200 adult respondents and has an error margin of ±3 percent at the 95 percent confidence level.

 

At the time the survey was conducted, the following issues preoccupied Filipinos:

 

1. The filing of graft and plunder charges against Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, and Ramon Revilla Jr. on June 6; the indictment for plunder of suspected pork mastermind Janet Napoles and key members of the respective legislative staffs of Enrile, Estrada and Revilla; the eventual surrender of Revilla and Estrada; andthe "not guilty" plea entered by the Sandiganbayan on behalf of Revilla and Estrada;

 

2. The Ombudsman's denial of the petition for immunity of Napoles, former Technology Resource Center (TRC) chairperson Dennis Cunanan, and two officers of the National Agri-Business Corporation;

 

3. The petition of the Ombudsman before the Supreme Court for the creation of two special courts to handle cases related to the pork barrel scam, Malacanang's support for the proposal, and the opposition to the petition expressed by the Sandiganbayan and the lawmakers indicted for plunder;

 

4. The SC decision declaring several acts under the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) as unconstitutional for violating the doctrine of separation of powers and the constitutional provision which prohibits the inter-branch transfer of appropriations;

 

5. The statement of support for President Benigno Aquino III by House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and other pro-administration legislators in response to calls for Aquino's impeachment and the resignation of Budget Secretary Florencio Abad from some opposition lawmakers and militant groups;

 

6. The creation by the Office of the Ombudsman of a panel that will investigate the realignments in the national budget made by the national administration under the DAP;

 

7. The Sandiganbayan's order to suspend former President and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo for 90 days in connection with her reported involvement in the anomalous NBN-ZTE deal;

 

8. The tension between the Philippines and China over disputed territories in the West Philippine Sea;

 

9. Aquino's call for the Philippine National Police to swiftly resolve crime incidents after the recent series of killings involving several high-profile individuals;

 

10. The confirmation of the appointments of secretaries Leila de Lima (justice), Corazon Soliman (social welfare), and Ramon Paje (environment) after being in office for four years;

 

11. The 116th Philippine independence day on June 12 with Aquino leading rites in Naga City;

 

12. Aquino's controversial decision to reject the nomination of Nora Aunor as National Artist for Film

 

13. The continued failure of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and Bureau of Customs (BOC) to meet their target collections for the month of May 2014 ; the decline in power rates charged by the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) in June 2014; the increase in oil prices due to the continued crisis in Iraq and the hike in the price of rice, garlic and sugar reportedly due to lower supply levels; and the DBM's budget proposal totalling P 2.606 trillion for the year 2015 - 15% higher than the 2014 national budget. — Joel Locsin/RSJ, GMA News