Robin Padilla, Raffy Tulfo, Alan Peter Cayetano top voting preference for senatorial polls —OCTA

Senators Robin Padilla, Raffy Tulfo, and Alan Peter Cayetano emerged at the top of the list of voting preference for the 2028 senatorial elections, OCTA Research said Wednesday.

Padilla had 53.9%, Tulfo had 47.4%, while Cayetano had 45.4% in the hypothetical 2028 senatorial preference list based on the Tugon ng Masa noncommissioned nationwide survey for the second quarter of 2026 conducted by OCTA Research.

The others on the list in or near the preliminary top 12 are:

• Grace Poe: 44.5%
• Vico Sotto: 42.0%
• Loren Legarda: 39.0%
• Manny Pacquiao: 34.5%
• Paolo “Pulong” Duterte: 34.3%
• Ben Tulfo: 31.0%
• Abby Binay: 26.1%
• Jinggoy Estrada: 25.5%
• Mark Lapid: 25.0%
• Francis "Chiz" Escudero: 23.2%
• Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III: 21.2%
• Mark Villar: 19.5%
• Sonny Angara: 19.2%

OCTA Research said Cayetano, Poe, and Sotto "formed a closely grouped second tier," while Pacquiao and Duterte "were statistically tied within the rank range of sixth to ninth."

"Because many estimates are separated by only a few percentage points, the rankings should be interpreted using the reported rank ranges rather than as fixed placements. The results reflect preferences only at the time of the survey and should not be treated as predictions of candidacy, campaign performance, or the final election outcome," OCTA said.

The survey was conducted from July 4 to 11, 2026 via face-to-face interviews with 1,200 male and female respondents aged 18 and above.

The survey's margin of error was at ±3% at a 95% confidence level.

Meanwhile, for subnational estimates for the geographic areas, margins of error are as follows at a 95% confidence level: ±6% for National Capital Region (NCR), Balance Luzon (areas in Luzon outside the National Capital Region), Visayas, and Mindanao.

OCTA said respondents were given a hypothetical list of prospective candidates and were asked: "I have here a list of names that will for the May 2025 elections. If the May 2028 elections will be held today, who will you likely vote for as SENATOR? You may choose up to 12 names."

"The exercise is hypothetical: the official filing of candidacies is still more than two years away, the final field of candidates has not been determined, and several individuals included in the survey may ultimately decide not to
run," OCTA said.

The group also said some individuals who were initially considered to be included in the list were removed at their request.

"In presenting the results, names receiving 1% or less were also excluded from the published list. These exclusions should be considered when interpreting the distribution of preferences and do not imply that the published names constitute the complete or final field of potential candidates," it said.

OCTA Research further said: "The findings should not be interpreted as a forecast of the 2028 senatorial election. They provide only a snapshot of voter preferences during the July 4–11, 2026 fieldwork period. Preferences may change substantially as political alignments, candidacies, campaign conditions, public issues, and voter information evolve. Rank ranges are reported because candidates with close percentages may be statistically tied within the survey's margin of error."