DESPITE surveys showing growing support for the vice presidential bid of Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., President Benigno Aquino III dismissed suggestions that there is a resurgence of support for members of the Marcos family.
“By appearing on a cover of a magazine this demonstrates a resurgence of support? And social media is an unquestioned source of information that cannot be manipulated?” Aquino asked members of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines on Tuesday.
“[Is] there a resurgence of support? No, no. I think the answer to that is very obvious. I don’t think so,” Aquino said.
Aquino was referring to the appearance of Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos in a popular magazine and the increasing number of Bongbong supporters on social media.
“I have faith in my bosses,” Aquino said. “There is nothing that has caused me to change the faith that they are able to discern.”
Aquino belittled the popularity of the Marcoses and picked on Bongbong for alleged misdeeds committed by the administration of his father former President Ferdinand Marcos, who led the country from 1966 to 1986.
But the second The Standard Poll, conducted by resident pollster Junie Laylo from Sept. 21 to Oct. 1, showed that Bongbong was the second choice for vice president in the 2016 elections, behind Senator Francis Escudero.
Respondents were asked to choose from seven possible candidates Escudero; Senators Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Alan Cayetano and Antonio Trillanes IV; Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte; Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo; and former Senator Panfilo Lacson.
During the survey period, Marcos had not yet announced his vice presidential bid while Duterte and Lacson had yet to decide on their political plans for 2016.
Senator Gregorio Honasan, the running mate of Vice President Jejomar Binay, was also not included in the survey as there was no indication he was going to run during the survey period.
More recently, a poll among students of Polytechnic University of the Philippines, ranked Marcos as the number one choice among the 2016 vice presidential candidates, garnering 37.36 percent or 50,675 of the total 135,622 votes cast.
In second place is Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo of the Liberal Party (LP) with 21.20 percent (28,746 votes). Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV (Independent) is in third place with 13.58 percent (18,424 votes).
Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter S. Cayetano (Ind.) is in fourth place with 12.96 percent (17,578 votes), followed by Sen. Francis Escudero (Ind.) with 10.30 percent (13,976 votes), while Sen. Gregorio Honasan II (UNA) is in 5th place with 2.04 percent (2,765 votes).