Kiko Pangilinan tops Pulse Asia March survey for senatorial preferences

Former senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan landed at the top spot of the senatorial preferences pre-election survey conducted by Pulse Asia Research Inc.

Pangilinan, who is running under the Liberal Party, had a 53.1 percent voter preference in the survey conducted March 1-6 and commissioned by ABS-CBN Corp. The results were released on Tuesday morning.

He was followed by Sen. Vicente "Tito" Sotto of Nationalist People's Coalition (48.9 percent), Sen. Frank Drilon of Liberal Party (45.5 percent), former Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson (Independent; 45.1 percent), and Sen. Ralph Recto of LP, 42.5 percent.

The other senators filling up the top 14 are:

• Migz Zubiri (Independent): 36.5 percent
• Sergio Osmeña III (Independent): 36.4 percent
• Dick Gordon (Independent): 34.8 percent
• Risa Hontiveros (Akbayan): 33.3 percent
• Manny Pacquiao (United Nationalist Alliance): 32.7 percent
• Leila de Lima (LP): 32.1 percent
• Joel Villanueva (LP): 28 percent
• TG Guingona (LP): 26.3 percent
• Win Gatchalian (NPC): 25.6 percent

In the previous Pulse Asia survey conducted in late January, Sotto led the pack with 68.8 percent, while Pangilinan had 65.6 percent. 

Meanwhile, the latest survey on senatorial preferences from Social Weather Stations conducted on March 4-7 showed Sotto in the lead with 53 percent, followed by Lacson at 46 percent.

Kiko grateful

Pangilinan thanked his supporters for helping him do well in the survey.

“We thank our supporters for putting us in the top spot of the latest Pulse Asia survey results. We hope our supporters also embrace our core campaign message that agriculture—and the country’s main food producers, the farmers and fishermen—should be at the forefront of any development plan," he said in a statement released to media on Tuesday.

Number of senatorial preferences

In its March 2016 poll, Pulse Asia noted that respondents named an average of seven preferred candidates for the Senate.

It also said that only 14 out of 50 senatorial candidates stand a chance of winning the May 9 polls, based on statistics.

The poll firm added that 32 percent of respondents have already decided on the complete slate of senatorial candidates they will vote for.

Sample size

The survey was conducted among 2,600 registered voters aged 18 and above and with biometrics.

Error margin for the nationwide survey was at ± 1.9 percent at the 95 percent confidence level. —With a report from Kathrina Charmaine Alvarez/KG, GMA News