VICE President Jejomar Binay has posted a slim lead over the other possible presidential candidates in the 2016 elections, the results of the first The Standard Poll showed
The poll, conducted by resident pollster Junie Laylo from May 8 to 18, showed Senator Grace Poe in second place, four percentage points behind Binay’s 28 percent.
Poe led the survey across the geographic areas except in Mindanao, where Binay posted a plurality of 41 percent.
Binay was the top choice of the respondents in the rural areas at 32 percent, while Poe held the lead in the urban areas at 28 percent.
Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte were tied in third place with 10 percent each.
Senator Miriam Santiago and Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II—the administration’s presumptive standard bearer—shared the fourth spot at eight percent each.
Senator Francis Escudero was in fifth place at four percent; Senators Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Alan Cayetano were tied in sixth place at three percent each; and former Senator Panfilo Lacson was in seventh place at one percent.
The survey also showed that Binay was the strongest candidate among the very poor: at 27 percent among the Class D and 32 percent among the Class E, while Poe was the top choice among the Class ABC at 27 percent.
Those polled were also most likely to give their vote to Poe if their preferred presidential bet decided to withdraw from the race.
Poe also enjoyed the highest trust rating among the possible contenders at 76 percent followed by Santiago (63 percent), Escudero (59 percent), Cayetano (51 percent), Estrada (51 percent), Binay (50 percent), Roxas (48 percent), Duterte (43 percent) and Lacson (36 percent).
The Liberal Party posted a higher net trust rating of +14 (38 percent “much” trust, 24 percent “little” trust), while the opposition United Nationalist Alliance received +3 (31 percent “much” trust, 28 percent “little” trust).
Among the possible candidates for vice president, Poe led the pack at 23 percent with Escudero at close second at 16 percent.
The other possible vice presidential candidates included Cayetano and Duterte at 11 percent each, Estrada and Lacson at seven percent each, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV (six percent), Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos and Marcos at five percent each, and former senator Francis Pangilinan and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao at four percent each.
For the possible senatorial candidates, Senator Vicente Sotto III was the top choice of those surveyed at 55 percent, followed by Lacson at 50 percent.
The other politicians who made it to the Top 12 were Senator Ralph Recto and Pangilinan at 42 percent each; former senator Juan Miguel Zubiri at 40 percent; Senate President Franklin Drilon at 39 percent; Marcos at 38 percent; Pacquiao at 34 percent; former senators Dick Gordon and Jamby Madrigal and Senator Sergio Osmeña at 31 percent each; and director Lino Cayetano and Justice Secretary Leila de Lima at 30 percent each.
The poll had a sample size of 1,500 with 300 respondents each from the National Capital Region, North/Central Luzon, South Luzon/Bicol, the Visayas and Mindanao.
The Standard Poll had error margins of +/- 2.6 percent for the national result and +/- 6 percent for the regional results.
All regions were represented in the survey.
Laylo, The Standard’s in-house pollster, has 25 years of experience in political polling and strategic research.