MANILA – Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte has topped the list of possible presidential bets in a survey released by Pulse Asia on Thursday.
The Pulse Asia survey, conducted from Nov. 23 to Dec. 2, showed that 26 percent of Filipinos would support Sara succeeding her father, Rodrigo Roa Duterte, as president should the 2022 elections be held this year.
She got majority preference from Mindanao with 58 percent, followed by Visayas (29 percent), Metro Manila (16 percent), and the rest of Luzon (12 percent).
In previous interviews, Sara said she would decide by January 2021 if she would push through with a presidential bid.
Duterte, however, has discouraged his daughter from running saying it is not worth pursuing.
Meanwhile, tied at second place were Senator Grace Poe and former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. at 14 percent.
Manila Mayor Isko Moreno is in third place with a 12 percent preference rating followed by Senator Manny Pacquiao with a 10 percent preference rating.
Vice President Leni Robredo obtained an 8 percent preference rating.
Senators Panfilo Lacson and Bong Go also tied at sixth place with a 4 percent preference rating.
Taguig Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano is in seventh place with a 3 percent rating, followed by Senator Richard Gordon (0.2 percent) and former Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio (0.1 percent).
Respondents of the Pulse Asia survey were asked: “Of the people on this list, whom would you vote for as President of the Philippines if the May 2022 elections were held today and they were candidates? You may mention others not included in this list.”
Four percent of those surveyed either refused to answer, don’t know who to choose, or picked no one.
A combined 1 percent of the survey respondents also picked personalities not on Pulse Asia’s list of candidates namely President Duterte, Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., or Manny Villar.
As for Vice President, Moreno clinched the top spot with a 17 percent preference. He was followed by Sara Duterte (16 percent), Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto (14 percent), and Marcos and Pacquiao who were tied with 11 percent
