SENATOR Vicente Sotto III is the first choice of voters for the 2016 senatorial elections, results of the second The Standard Poll showed.
The survey, conducted by resident pollster Junie Laylo from Sept. 21 to Oct. 1, had 1,500 respondents, all of whom are registered voters with biometrics from 76 provinces across the country and the 17 cities in the National Capital Region.
Respondents were asked to choose 12 from a list of likely candidates for the Senate.
At least 60 percent of the respondents said they will vote for Sotto, a reelectionist and member of the Nationalist People’s Coalition.
Sotto was also the top pick of voters across all economic classes, age, gender, religious affiliation and ethnicity.
Another reelectionist, Senator Ralph Recto, took the second spot with 53 percent, followed by Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former Senator Panfilo Lacson who were tied at the third and fourth places with 49 percent each.
Rounding up the top 12 are former senators Francis Pangilinan (48 percent) and Juan Miguel Zubiri (42 percent); Senators Franklin Drilon (41 percent) and Sergio Osmeña (40 percent); Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and former
Senator Jamby Madrigal at 39 percent each; Sarangani Rep. Emannuel Pacquiao (36 percent) and Las Piñas Rep. Mark Villar (34 percent).
Former Senator Richard Gordon landed in the 13th spot with 33 percent, followed by Taguig Rep. Lino Cayetano (31 percent); Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista (30 percent); PhilHealth director Risa Hontiveros (28 percent); Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno (27 percent); Senator Teofisto Guingona III (26 percent); Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo and Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority head Mark Lapid at 26 percent each; Buhay party-list Rep. Lito Atienza (24 percent); Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez (21 percent); broadcast journalist Mike Enriquez (16 percent); and Valenzuela Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian and former MMDA head Francis Tolentino with 13 percent each.
Marcos and Robredo, however, have already filed their certificates of candidacy for the vice presidency.
Madrigal, Bautista, Moreno, Villar, Atienza, Enriquez, and Cayetano also did not file their CoCs for the senatorial post.
The Standard Poll has error margins of +/- 2.6 percent for the national results 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.
