President Rodrigo Duterte’s net satisfaction rating has influenced senatorial survey results showing the inclusion of his preferred candidates in the so-called “Magic 12,” Malacañang said on Thursday.
In a Palace press briefing, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the people who support the President also believe the candidates he supports in the May elections.
“Most likely, since they believe in the President, the voters would also believe who the President endorses,” Panelo told Palace reporters.
In a survey released by the Social Weather Stations on Wednesday evening, the Chief Executive’s net satisfaction rating remained “very good” in the first quarter of 2019, at +66.
Meanwhile, Pulse Asia reported that eight of out the President’s preferred 11 senatorial candidates made it to the winning circle in its latest survey.
Pulse Asia listed 16 candidates who would have a statistical chance of winning if the midterm polls were held during the survey period.
According to the pollster, reelectionist Senator Grace Poe, an independent candidate, remains the topnotcher in the senatorial race with a voter preference of 72.6 percent.
Senator Cynthia Villar, another reelectionist, came in 2nd, garnering the support of 63.7-percent registered voters. She was followed by Senator Juan Edgardo Angara, whose voter preference of 58.5 percent translates to a statistical ranking of 3rd to 4th places.
Meanwhile, former presidential top aide Christopher Go, whose senatorial bid is backed by 55.7 percent of registered voters, falls within the 3rd to 5th places. Taguig City Rep. Pia Cayetano came next with a 52.2-percent voter preference. Former Senator Lito Lapid also emerged in the list with the support of 48.4 percent of voters, equating to a statistical ranking of 5th to 8th places.
Sharing 6th to 9th places are Senator Maria Lourdes Nancy Binay (45.5 percent), and former Philippine National Police chief Ronald dela Rosa (44.8 percent).
Completing the “Magic 12” were former Senator Ramon Revilla, Jr. (40.9 percent, 7th to 10th places), Ilocos Gov. Imee Marcos (39.0 percent, 9th to 12th places), former Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs Francis Tolentino (35.7 percent, 10th to 16th places), and former Senator Jinggoy Estrada (35.2 percent, 10th to 16th places).
Also included in the Top 16 list of probable winners were Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV (33.8 percent), former Senate President Aquino Pimentel III (33.6 percent), former Senator Sergio Osmeña III (33 percent), and former Senator Manuel Roxas II.
Since the start of the campaign period, the President has been actively campaigning for his preferred candidates, attending rallies hosted by the ruling PDP-Laban party.
Duterte’s own candidates include Dela Rosa, Go, Maguindanao 2nd District Rep. Zajid Mangudadatu, Pimentel III, and Tolentino. The other guest candidates he publicly endorses are folk singer Freddie Aguilar, Angara, Cayetano, Senator JV Ejercito, Marcos, and Villar.
The Pulse Asia survey, which was conducted from March 23 to 27, 2019 used face-to-face interviews of 1,800 representative adults. It had a + 2.3-percent error margin at the 95 percent confidence level. Subnational estimates for the geographic areas covered in the survey have the following error margins at 95 percent confidence level: +6.5 percent for Metro Manila, +3.5 percent for the rest of Luzon, +5.3 percent for the Visayas and +4.7 percent for Mindanao.
Poe thanked her supporters for putting their trust in her. With Macon Ramos-Araneta