Marcos tops pre-election survey before start of campaign period

Former Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. topped the latest Pulse Asia survey on presidential bets at 60%, with Vice President Leni Robredo placing far second at 16%. The survey was conducted from January 19 to 24, before the start of the campaign period.

The poll showed Marcos, son of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, scoring above 50% in the National Capital Region (57%), Balance Luzon (61%), Visayas (53%) and Mindanao (66%) to dominate his rivals.

Marcos also scored 50% and up in Class C, D and E with 50%, 61% and 56%.

Robredo, for her part, scored the highest in Balance Luzon and Visayas where she both rated 19%, followed by Metro Manila where she scored 16%.

Expectedly, Robredo fared the lowest in Mindanao at 8%, given that Marcos, Jr.'s running mate is Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Both Senators Manny Paquiao and Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko" Domagoso scored 8%, while Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson got 4%.

The rest of the presidential bets—Faisal Mangondato, Ernesto Abella, Leody de Guzman, Norberto Gonzales and Jose Montemayor—all scored less than .3%.

The Pulse Asia nationwide survey, taken before the campaign period that started last February 8, is based on a sample of 2,400 respondents aged 18 years old and above.

It has a ± 2% error margin at the 95% confidence level.

Subnational estimates for each of the geographic areas covered in the survey (i.e., Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao) have a ± 4% error margin, also at 95% confidence level.

Sara keeps VP lead, Sotto 2nd top pick

In the same Pulse Asia survey, Marcos' running mate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte kept her lead for the vice-presidential race with 50% of the respondents on her side.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III -- the running mate of presidential candidate Senator Lacson -- was the respondents' second pick, garnering 29%.

Sotto was followed by Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan with 11%, Doctor Willie Ong with 5%, and Representative Jose “Lito” Atienza Jr. with 1%. —LBG, GMA News