Aquino opens up lead versus Villar--SWS

MANILA, Philippines (1st UPDATE) - Liberal Party presidential candidate Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino has arrested a slide in support while his nearest rival, Manual "Manny" Villar of the Nacionalista Party, lost ground ahead of elections on May 10, an opinion poll showed on Monday.

The Businessworld-Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, conducted on March 19-22 before the start of campaigning for Congress and local positions last Friday, also showed administration candidate Gilberto "Gibo" Tedoro remained a distant fourth in polling.

Support for opposition senator Aquino, son of the country's democracy icon, Corazon "Cory" Aquino, stood at 37 percent, basically steady with his February reading of 36 percent although well below a support level of 60 percent last September.

Billionaire senator Villar dropped six points to 28 percent, and former president Joseph Estrada, forced out of office in 2001, saw his support rise four points to 19 percent.

Support for Teodoro, a former defence secretary in outgoing President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's administration, was unchanged at 6 percent, the SWS poll showed.

Major campaign issues are corruption, poverty and managing the economy and a large budget deficit.

Aquino portrays himself as a "change" candidate, promising to fight corruption, reform development spending and improve transparency, and has said he would investigate allegations of corruption against Arroyo.

His Liberal Party lacks the national scale of the ruling Lakas-Kampi coalition, whose grassroots organisation could boost Teodoro's ratings now that local campaigning has started.

However, if Teodoro is unable to lift his ratings soon, analysts believe Arroyo's supporters could swing behind Villar.

The SWS results are very similar to support levels in a late February poll by Pulse Asia, another independent pollster.

The opinion poll results were posted on the SWS website http://www.sws.org.ph/

The survey of 2,100 people has a 2 percent margin of error.

Voter fatigue to Villar ads?

Edwin Lacierda, spokesman of the Aquino campaign, attributed the rise in Aquino's survey ratings to voter-fatigue to Villar's ads and the success of Aquino's campaign message against corruption.

"It's really because of all these things that have come out - the fatigue on the commercials, overspending, the C-5 report, Villaroyo alliance - as well as our own message of 'kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap,'" he said in an ANC interview.

Lacierda said Villar tried but failed to overtake Aquino's lead despite spending close to a billion pesos in ads before the start of the official campaign period in February. He said the closest that Villar ever got to toppling Aquino's lead was when they reached a statistical tie in the February 24-28, 2010 SWS survey. (Read Aquino's lead falling steadily: SWS chief) http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/03/09/10/aquinos-lead-steadily-falling...

He said the latest March 19-22 poll put Aquino ahead of the pack in terms of both geographic area and socio-economic class, although he saw his support drop in Metro Manila (39% from 42%) and Mindanao (32% from 35%). He overtook Mr. Villar in the Balance of Luzon (35% versus 30%), and among the class ABC (45% vs. 17%) and class E (33% vs. 31%).

Support for Villar erodes

Mr. Villar saw his support eroded in almost all geographic areas and socioeconomic classes, except in Metro Manila where he kept his score of 20%, keeping him third behind Joseph Estrada. Mr. Aquino’s nationwide gain was limited to one point as his 3-point losses in Metro Manila and Mindanao offset increases of 4 points in the Visayas and 2 points in the Balance of Luzon.

"We really studied per region and per class. We realized where our weak areas were so we mapped out a strategy in reinforcing those weak areas. I think the people's response has been very positive. They have responded to our message of good governance, the character and the integrity of Sen. Aquino, and the dividends of good governance," Lacierda said.

He said Aquino's sister, Kris, was also instrumental in bringing in crowds during LP campaign sorties in Northern Luzon.

"The presence of Kris was also a big gain in areas where we are weak. It shows her drawing power. At the same time, it shows we are not done yet with our campaign. We have not yet mobilized our entire resources for the rest of the campaign, and we will do so as the election draws nearer," he said.

Gibo still 4th

The March 19-22 poll showed administration candidate Gilberto “Gibo” C. Teodoro, Jr. of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD remaining in single digit territory with his score staying at 6%.

There were minimal changes with respect to the rest of the presidential bets: Bagumbayan’s Sen. Richard “Dick” J. Gordon picked up a point to score a fifth-placed 3%, overtaking Bangon Pilipinas’ Eduardo “Bro. Eddie” C. Villanueva who lost a point to 2%. Following were Ang Kapatiran bet John Carlos “JC” G. De Los Reyes with 0.3%, and independent candidates Jesus Nicanor “Nick” P. Perlas (0.1%) and Sen. Ana Consuelo “Jamby” A. S. Madrigal (0.04%).

Votes for disqualified Kilusang Bagong Lipunan candidate Vetellano “Dodong” S. Acosta were classed under the undecided and others.

As with the previous Feb. 24-28 survey, the SWS respondents were asked to privately fill out a ballot containing the names of the official candidates in alphabetical order.

A total of 2,100 registered voters were polled nationwide, divided into random samples of 300 in Metro Manila and 600 each in the Balance of Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao. The sampling error margins used were ±2.2% for national percentages, ±6% for Metro Manila, and ±4% for the rest of Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.

Palace: Wait for impact of local campaign

Asked about his reaction to the survey, Teodoro said: "Wala na akong magagawa don. I've stopped relying on surveys."

Meanwhile, the Palace downplayed the continued dismal survey performance of Teodoro.

"The (latest) survey started before the start of the (local) campaign. Di pa kasama diyan yung umpisa ng local campaign. Syempre up and down, see-saw ang ganung positions. Mararamdaman na po ang strength. This isn’t something that bothers the administration party. Hindi pa reflective sa kampaniya yun. The administration party pa rin, their belief is they have best candidate out eh," said Deputy Presidential spokesperson Gary Olivar.

Olivar also downplayed the defection of former Ilocos Sur governor Luis "Chavit" Singson to the camp of Villar. He said Singson defected to Villar's camp in response to the call of local leaders.

He also dismissed rumors that Singson's defection is proof that President Arroyo has forged an alliance with the Nacionalista bet.

Aquino also leads MST poll

Meanwhile, the LP said Aquino is also leading in the results of the Manila Standard Today (MST) pre-election survey, scoring 39% over Villar's 26%. Estrada and Teodoro, meanwhile, garnered 17% and 6%, respectively.
The Standard survey indicated a surge in Aquino’s popularity over the regions and the classes, noting that “[a]mong the very poor Aquino held a 12 point lead over Villar, or 39 percent to 27 percent.”

According to Pedro Laylo, the Standard’s resident pollster, “[s]upport for Villar is in the downtrend in urban areas specifically in the National Capital Region where he lost seven points while Aquino added eight more points.”

Meanwhile in the vice-presidential race, Aquino’s running mate, Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas, also enjoys a commanding lead in both the SWS and the Standard surveys, scoring at 42% and 39%, respectively. His closest rival, the NP’s Loren Legarda, came in at 25% in the SWS survey, and at 29% in this month’s Standard survey.

LP General Campaign Manager Florencio “Butch” Abad attributed Aquino’s surge to the strategic focus provided by former Senator Serge Osmeña, who has recently taken a leave of absence to focus on his own senatorial campaign, and to the tireless assistance of Aquino’s hundreds of thousands of dedicated volunteers.

Aquino has been campaigning on a platform of good governance and freedom from the culture of corruption that is a major cause of poverty in the country.

Abad sees Aquino’s constant lead in the pre-election polls as indication that “the Filipino people continue to believe in Aquino’s ability to bring about a clean and compassionate government that will put an end to corruption and alleviate poverty.” -- with Reuters, BusinessWorld, ANC
as of 03/29/2010 6:05 PM

Montano 'dedicates' election campaign to dead son

abs-cbnNEWS.com | 03/27/2010 8:31 PM

MANILA, Philippines -- Actor Cesar Montano is reportedly inclined to continue campaigning for a gubernatorial seat in Bohol province in honor of his dead son who committed suicide last Friday.

According to director Marilou Diaz-Abaya, a close friend of Montano, the actor will carry on with his campaign as a tribute to his 23-year-old son Christian Angelo, who committed suicide on March 26.

“He's inclined to pursue his candidacy as homage to Angelo and the youth,” said Diaz-Abaya.

She said Montano is still heartbroken over his son’s suicide, which was allegedly spurned by "love problems."

The actor has requested the public to respect their privacy and refused to talk more about his son's death.

Diaz-Abaya said Christian Angelo was very close to his father. Christian was Montano's son by a first wife who passed away some years ago.

The young Montano was said to have shot himself in the head with a .45 pistol inside their home along Yakal Street, Tivoli Royale subdivision in Barangay Batasan Hills, Quezon City at around 6 a.m.

Radio DZMM reported that Christian Angelo was talking to someone over the phone before he ended his life.

The remains of Montano’s son will be cremated on Sunday morning.

Montano said in a media statement that he was in Bohol with his current wife, actress Sunshine Dizon, and their daughter Angela when he heard the news of his son's death. The actor immediately flew back to Manila.

"I was just with him yesterday before leaving for Bohol. Little did I know that it would be the last time I was to see him alive," Montano said.

"No words can describe the grief that my family and I are experiencing with this devastating news. He was young, a cheerful, thoughtful and loving son who ha[d] a generous heart and spirit." Report by Jing Castañeda, ABS-CBN News.

Villar seen to capitalize on Pacquiao victory

MANILA, Philippines - After successfully defending his World Boxing Organization welterweight belt, boxer Manny Pacquiao is expected to come home to an even tougher fight in the political ring as candidate for congressman and endorser of Nacionalista Party standard-bearer Manny Villar.

Villar said Pacquiao's endorsement could add the much needed boost to his campaign that would propel him to the top of the presidential surveys ahead of the May 10 elections.

“Sure it will help,” Villar told reporters when asked how Pacquiao’s victory Sunday over Joshua Clottey would help his (Villar's) chances of winning the election.

Villar said Pacquiao’s victory shows the importance of perseverance in any fight. He said he identified with the boxer and TV host Willie Revillame who both rose from poverty because of perseverance and hard work.

"We all had nothing in the past. Now that we have accomplished something, we just want to give back to the poor. One who forgets his past will not reach his destination," he said in a statement.

Pacquiao, a former stalwart of President Arroyo's Lakas-Kampi-CMD party, jumped ship to join Villar's NP ticket for Congress in the lone district of Sarangani.

A Malacañang official, meanwhile, said Pacquiao's victory should be seen as the triumph of all Filipinos and not just one political party.

In a statement, deputy presidential spokesman Gary Olivar downplayed the Filipino boxer's decision to be identified with the opposition. "We trust that Manny will continue to maintain himself above all else as a symbol of national unity and national pride," he said.

Olivar said any form of hero's welcome to the Pambansang Kamao should not be seen as a form of electioneering by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

He said Malacañang will discuss this week what type of award it will bestow on Pacquiao when he returns next week.

Comelec: Don't politicize Pacquiao parade

The Comelec, meanwhile, reminded candidates for national office not to use the outpouring of support for Pacquiao to their own advantage.

Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal said the usual parade for Pacquiao should not be used by other candidates to push their own candidacies.

"Spare the event from politics," he said. "This is an event that belongs to the Filipino people. It cannot be claimed by any person, candidate, or political party."

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez added that there are proper avenues for candidates to promote themselves, such as campaign rallies. He said they may join the parade if they want, but must not post campaign posters and woo voters.

Local candidates, meanwhile, are exempted from the rule since the official campaign period for local bets has yet to start.

Jimenez said candidates who posted posters and streamers in venues where the Pacquiao-Clottey fight was shown are at risk of being disqualified. He added that candidates may only put their campaign materials in places provided for in the Fair Elections Act and during official political functions such as sorties.

Jimenez called on the public to report such cases by sending pictures of the posters, for example, so the Comelec can act accordingly. Once the violation is proven, the candidate will be disqualified and imprisoned from 1 to 6 years, since he or she committed an election offense. -- with a report from Ryan Chua, ABS-CBN News

"Lets just wait for his birthday announcement on who will get his endorsement, its April 25"

Aquino apologizes; Villar won’t explain Davao no-show

MANILA, Philippines—Liberal Party standard-bearer Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III made a public apology while Nacionalista Party (NP) bet Manny Villar appealed for “understanding” in response to the sharp words the two leading contenders received for skipping a forum organized by a religious sect leader in Davao City on Tuesday.

Campaigning in Zamboanga City Wednesday, Aquino aired his apology to Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, head of a sect called Kingdom of Jesus Christ, the Name Above Every Name, which claims millions of members and several radio stations.

“When I go to Davao I will seek an audience and explain to him, that it was something beyond my control,” said Aquino in a press conference at the Orchid Garden Hotel. “Getting a cold is something that I cannot schedule.”

Quiboloy, disappointed at the non-appearance of the top two contenders, had called them men with “no word of honor.”

Aquino said he had a cold after his visit to the Visayas last week which prevented him from flying to Davao on Tuesday, as he had promised Quiboloy.

“My doctor advised me to take medicines and he asked for at least two days of rest. I still have a cold at this time,” said Aquino. He said “there would have been no problem if he had everything under his control.”

But Aquino said he pushed through with his Zamboanga sortie Wednesday because he “could not hold it off anymore.” Aquino is set to go to Davao next week.

On the other hand, Villar, campaigning Wednesday in Kabacan, North Cotabato, did not reveal his reasons for not attending Quiboloy’s forum, adding, “We ask for your understanding.”

Before flying to Koronadal City, Villar told reporters he had many reasons—“a hundred reasons”—why he skipped Quiboloy’s forum as well as another one held at the Ateneo de Davao University.

“What happened should be left to us. We will just talk among ourselves,” he told reporters.

Villar said he had explained his decision to the organizers of the lawyers and businessmen’s forum, but did not elaborate.

“I have the same reason for both (forums), but I don’t want to specify. You know, the campaign exacts a heavy toll on the candidates, and sometimes it’s really hard for us to attend all the forums,” he said.

‘They blew it’

Meanwhile, in Naga City, veteran politician and Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino campaign manager Ernesto Maceda said the two top contenders lost their chance to get the religious group’s support.

“Pastor Quiboloy did not hide his displeasure and as far as I’m concerned, without meaning to preempt (Quiboloy’s group), that would imply that they’re out of contention as far as Quiboloy’s concerned for the moment,” Maceda said.

Maceda said only the PMP’s standard-bearer, deposed President Joseph Estrada, administration candidate Gilberto Teodoro and evangelist Brother Eddie Villanueva remain in the running for the endorsement of Quiboloy’s group.

But Estrada himself said he would not read too much into the situation.

“Medyo nagtampo lang siya (He was just a little upset),” Estrada said on Quiboloy’s reaction to the no-show of Aquino and Villar.


Source

Aquino's lead steadily falling: SWS chief

abs-cbnNEWS.com | 03/09/2010 2:13 PM

Mangahas: C-5 issue hurts Villar in Metro Manila

MANILA, Philippines (1st UPDATE) - The presidential surveys conducted by Social Weather Stations (SWS) since December 2009 show a consistent decline in support for Liberal Party (LP) standard-bearer Benigno 'Noynoy' Aquino III, according to SWS president Mahar Mangahas.

In an interview on ANC's Dateline Philippines on Tuesday, Mangahas said what's clear from the four presidential surveys conducted by SWS from December 5-10, 2009 to February 24-28 2010 is that Aquino's lead is now much smaller.

The latest SWS survey, commissioned by the newspaper BusinessWorld, and e-mailed Tuesday to news organizations by the camp of Nacionalista Party (NP) presidential bet Manny Villar, showed Aquino's lead down to only 2 percentage points, with Aquino at 36% and Villar at 34%.

"Ang talagang conclusion diyan ay napakaliit na [ang lead ni Aquino] compared to before. That's very clear," Mangahas said.

Aquino's lead over Villar was 19 points in December 5-10, 2009, 11 points in December 27-28, 2009, 7 points in January 21-24, 2010, and 2 points in February 24-28.

"If you look at our series, talagang steadily, steadily paliit ng paliit. So ngayon, nasa 2 (point lead si Aquino)," he added.

Mangahas disagreed with interpretations of the latest SWS survey results which described the two leading presidential candidates in a statistical tie.

Given the margin of error of 2%, Mangahas said Aquino may actually be leading by 4 percentage points.

He said the correct way of interpreting the results of the latest survey is that it's either a statistical tie or that Aquino has a 4 percentage point lead.

C-5 affects Villar in Metro Manila

Mangahas also said another important shift in the February 24-28, 2010 survey results is the drop in Villar's ratings in Metro Manila.

In the National Capital Region, Villar's ratings fell from 26% in January 21-24, 2010 to 20% in February 24-28, a drop of 6 percentage points.

"Villar fell in Metro Manila, and the second-placer is actually Erap," Mangahas said. "It's Noynoy, Erap and then Villar in Metro Manila."

"So para sa akin, this issue about the C-5 could be said to have had an effect in Metro Manila. Because doon siya talagang nahirapan, nahihirapan," he added.

However, Mangahas said Villar improved in the Visayas, which is why his overall ratings have been just steady since December.

"He [Villar] improved in Visayas kaya't medyo steady lang siya, at 1 puntos lang ang bawas niya unlike Noynoy who fell all around, in all parts of the country, kaya't nabawasan siya ng 6 points," he said.

He refused to say whether Villar's ads were responsible for the NP's survey ratings, adding that the SWS does not monitor ad spending.

"Hindi kasama yon sa analysis namin...at saka wala kaming special access sa mga ganoon (ads)," Mangahas said.

Asked why Aquino's ratings have fallen since December, Mangahas said he does not have the data that would explain the drop.

"We do not know the progress of the ads in all parts of the country. We don't have those additional bits of information," he said.

Mangahas said the SWS will have surveys in March, April and around a week before the May 10 elections.

If the last survey a week before May 10 would show the same results as the February 24-28, 2010 survey, Manghas said they would then say: "Well, we cannot call the winner because it's too small but it's a two-point lead and we have to say that at this point, mas llamado si Aquino ng konti."

The February 24-28, 2010 BW-SWS survey used face-to-face interviews with 2,100 registered voters. It has a margin of error of plus/minus 2%.

Villar, Aquino respond to SWS survey

Meanwhile, Villar said the results of the latest SWS polls are also reflected in the warm reception he and the rest of his team are getting in their sorties.

“Mas nagiging mainit ang pagtanggap sa atin saan man kami dumako at mas lalong nagiging buo ang grupo ng Nacionalista kasama ang aking running mate na si Loren Legarda,” he said in a statement.

He said he has been able to spread the word about what they intend to do if they win the polls through their sorties.

Villar said they are getting more support due to their message of hope plus a better grasp of his team's platform of government.

He added he was happy with the survey results and expressed hope he would soon overtake Aquino, who holds only a 2 percentage point lead.

Liberal Party campaign manager Florencio 'Butch' Abad, meanwhile, said the results of the SWS survey showed that their message of anti-corruption and good governance is holding.

“The campaign of Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III is pleased with the results of the Social Weather Stations’ February 21 to 25 survey, which clearly shows that Aquino has retained his lead," he said.

“Despite our closest rival’s excessive, beyond-the-COMELEC-limit spending on TV ads and the obscenely funded propaganda machine, the people have maintained their trust in Noynoy Aquino’s candidacy," Abad said.

“What this survey tells us is that our message is holding and we must continue delivering that to places like the Samar Islands and Northern Luzon, where we see greater opportunities recruiting more supporters. For this purpose, the Aquino campaign intends to aggressively expand its volunteer base of 200,000 in these places," he added.

“Although the race has become tighter, we are confident that our message of change and freedom from corruption will hold sway in the end, and that the voters will make the right decision come the May elections," Abad said.

Source

Noynoy widens lead

Philstar.com - Saturday, March 6


MANILA, Philippines - Liberal Party (LP) bet Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III has widened his lead over Sen. Manuel Villar of the Nacionalista Party (NP) in the latest survey by Pulse Asia on presidential candidates for the May 10 elections.

Aquino obtained 36 percent against Villar’s 29 percent in the Feb. 21-25 survey results released yesterday.

Still coming in third was former President Joseph Estrada of the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino-United Opposition with 18 percent, followed by the administration’s Gilberto Teodoro of Lakas-Kampi-CMD with seven percent.

Aquino improved his lead over Villar, with whom he was “statistically tied” in the January survey of Pulse Asia. Aquino then had 37 percent and Villar 35 percent.

Aquino gained momentum after Villar fell by six percentage points in February.

Estrada, on the other hand, posted the biggest gain of six percentage points in the latest survey.

Teodoro also improved his ratings, posting a gain of two points in the latest survey compared to January.

Pulse Asia said the other presidential candidates registered voter preference of seven percent or less.

Eddie Villanueva of Bangon Pilipinas came in fifth with two percent, followed by Sen. Richard Gordon of Bagumbayan Party with one percent.

The other candidates who posted less than one percent include Sen. Jamby Madrigal (0.3); environmentalist Nicanor Perlas (0.2 percent); Vetellano Acosta (0.04 percent); and Olongapo City councilor John Carlos de los Reyes of Ang Kapatiran Party (zero percent).

The survey, conducted from Feb. 21 to 25, had included Acosta before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) disqualified the KBL candidate last Thursday.

In the same survey, Aquino remains the favorite in the National Capital Region (NCR), obtaining 40 percent preference from among the upper socioeconomic classes ABC (43 percent) and D (36 percent).

Aquino and Villar received almost the same percentages in balance Luzon (33 percent Aquino; 31 percent Villar) and the Visayas (39 percent Aquino, 38 percent Villar) and among the poorest class E (36 percent Aquino; 33 percent Villar).

In Mindanao, 38 percent of respondents chose Aquino while 31 percent picked Estrada as their presidential bet.

Compared to the January 2010 survey, Pulse Asia said voter support for Aquino is virtually unchanged.

The survey also found that six percent of Filipino voters have yet to decide on their presidential preference or have no preferred candidate if the May 2010 elections were held during the survey period.

As in the previous survey, about the same number of voters with a presidential preference say that they opted for their candidate because he/she is not corrupt (26 percent) and cites his/her caring for the poor (22 percent).

Other reasons cited for preferring a candidate are that he/she can do/ is doing /will do something (14 percent); helps/is helping others (11 percent); is a good person (10 percent) and is used to governing/has experience (seven percent).

On the vice presidential bets, LP’s Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas II continued to lead with 43 percent of voter preference.

Villar’s running mate, Sen. Loren Legarda of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, came in second at 27 percent followed by Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay with 15 percent.

The other contenders who obtained voter support of four percent or less were former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Bayani Fernando (four percent); Lakas-Kampi-CMD bet actor Edu Manzano (two percent); former Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Perfecto Yasay (one percent); broadcaster Jay Sonza (one percent); and Dominador Chipeco (0.1 percent).

Seven percent of voters said they have no vice-presidential preference, Pulse Asia said.

Pulse Asia said Roxas has the advantage over his opponents across areas and socioeconomic classes except in balance Luzon and among the poorest socioeconomic class E, where voter support for him is statistically tied with that for Legarda.

Voter preference for Roxas is marginally higher in balance Luzon (36 percent versus 31 percent), while Legarda has the edge, although marginal, among the poorest class E (39 percent against 35 percent), the polling firm said.

Pulse Asia said preferences for the vice-presidential candidates are virtually unchanged since January, there being but marginal increases and marginal declines even among the top four contenders.

Binay and Fernando both posted marginal increases of two percentage points, while Roxas and Legarda registered marginal declines of four percentage points and one percentage point, respectively.

The non-commissioned survey used face-to-face interviews of 1,800 representative adults 18 years old and above with a plus or minus two percentage points error margin at the 95 percent confidence level.

Confidence level

Aquino and Roxas were both elated with the latest Pulse Asia survey, which they said reflected the people’s hope for change “rather than believe the lies being spread by those who want to destroy us.”

“I am happy because the survey shows the outpouring of support from the people who aim for real change in the country because I won’t stop until we are able to give our fellow Filipinos a leadership that is clean and can be trusted,” Aquino said.

Roxas, for his part, said the pre-election surveys were a strong indication of how voters would pick the country’s second highest elective official in this year’s national elections.

Villar, on the other hand, said he is still satisfied with the latest survey even after falling by six points in ratings against Aquino.

“I’m still happy about it. As I said earlier, as long as the lead is still in the single digit, I’m still happy,” Villar said at a press conference after meeting with local leaders in Davao City.

Legarda, for her part, said the surveys can be used as “gauge” in the campaign. She said surveys mean nothing compared with the support of the people attending their campaign sorties.

The NP said they remain unfazed by the drop in ratings by Villar.

NP spokesperson and senatorial candidate Gilbert Remulla said the elections are still three months away and anything can happen.

Remulla attributed the results of the latest survey to the commemoration of the 24th anniversary of the 1986 People Power revolution, which rekindled the memories of the late former President Corazon Aquino.

“But it should also be pointed out that the survey was conducted on the same week that the nation was commemorating EDSA 1, thus, people were remembering Noynoy’s mother Cory,” he said.

Remulla also pointed out Villar’s ratings also went down in another survey, the Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS), as much as 41 points last month.

Aquino spokesman Edwin Lacierta said Remulla “tried to pull off another spin” in citing the TNS survey, and was simply trying to downplay the Pulse Asia survey by citing another.

“The numbers do not correspond with the money dole-out simply because the Filipino people are tired, they want change, and can now smell the stench of corruption no matter how expensive the perfume,” Lacierta said.

On the other hand, Villanueva’s Bangon Pilipinas party (BPP) said the numbers in the latest Pulse Asia survey revealing their presidential candidate in fifth place were “quite improbable.”

“Before the official start of the campaign, Bro. Eddie Villanueva was already at two percent. After visiting key cities and provinces, even Hong Kong where Bangon Pilipinas gathered the biggest crowd... the party just cannot simply believe that ratings would still remain at two percent,” the BPP said in a statement.

The BPP said the survey results run contrary to the outcome of the surveys by other social networks that showed Villanueva remains the popular choice, particularly among Facebook users.

The BPP cited Villanueva’s interviews with the media that he does not believe in surveys.

Villanueva had cited the cases of former President Fidel Ramos and detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV who were both lagging in surveys but won anyway. -With Aurea Calica, Marvin Sy, Evelyn Macairan, Christina Mendez - By Helen Flores (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

Manila Bulletin - Monday, March 1

(Reuters) - Opposition senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino, son of the Philippines' democracy heroine Corazon "Cory" Aquino, said he may consider raising taxes if elected if it was clear the budget gap was unlikely to be cut quickly.

Here are some questions and answers on Aquino and his prospects:

HOW LIKELY IS AQUINO TO WIN?

Difficult to say. Aquino has kept his position as frontrunner in various opinion polls for the May presidential election, but his ratings suffered a big blow in January when the latest survey from independent pollster Pulse Asia Inc. showed him at 37 percent, down from 44 percent a month earlier.

His main rival, billionaire lawmaker Manuel "Manny" Villar, has been closing in on Aquino's lead. Villar's rating jumped 12 percentage points in the same poll last month, helped by his well-oiled ad campaign, pointing to a close race in the May 10 poll. Analysts say the election is still wide open, and that it is still too early to establish a trend more than two months away from the actual casting of ballots.

Some believe Aquino's popularity might be borne by media hype following the outpouring of public emotion when his mother died in August 2009 and the people's respect for his namesake father, who was assassinated upon his return in 1983 from political exile during the rule of strongman Ferdinand Marcos.

The hundreds of thousands of people who came out for the funeral of Aquino's mother, former President Cory Aquino, represent a huge vote bank, some analysts say.

Aquino has no executive experience and his record in his nine years as a lawmaker is not regarded as impressive.

Funding and organization could also be a problem since most other candidates started campaign preparations as early as 2007. Aquino's Liberal Party is a small organization, and is counting mostly on volunteers and donations from civil society groups.

WHAT ARE HIS ECONOMIC POLICIES LIKELY TO BE?

Aquino vowed on Saturday to go after tax evaders and big smugglers, a campaign that he hopes would collect 150 billion pesos ($3.3 billion) and raise the government's tax efficiency rate by 2 percentage points from the current level of around 13 percent.

He said he would strengthen an existing carrot-and-stick mechanism at the country's two main tax agencies to raise the Philippines' perenially weak revenues and push for higher salaries for these agencies to prevent workers from resorting to corrupt practices.

Aquino's action plan in his first 100 days as president includes forming a group to review possible changes to economic provisions in the Philippine constitution, one of Corazon Aquino's most important legacies to the Philippines during her term in office from 1986 to 1992.

Its political provisions specify term limits for elected officials, a reaction to Marcos' two decades in power, but it also has strongly nationalist economic provisions, including restrictions on foreign investment in some sectors and on foreigners owning land.

An economics graduate from the Jesuit-run Ateneo de Manila University, Aquino is running on an investor-friendly platform of transparent and good government, raising standards in education and improving tax collection by plugging leakages instead of imposing new revenue measures.
Manuel "Mar" Roxas, a Liberal Party colleague who has withdrawn his own nomination to make way for Aquino, was the preferred choice of markets for the presidency.

Roxas has served as trade secretary for two administrations and worked in an investment bank, while Aquino has only held legislative posts.

Roxas is standing as the Liberal Party's vice-presidential candidate and is campaigning along with Aquino.

WHAT WILL BE HIS POLITICAL PLATFORM?

Aquino's Liberal Party is strongly centrist and has been likened to the Democratic Party of the United States.

He has been opposed to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, once an ally of his mother, after she became enmeshed in charges of corruption and election fraud.

He said on Saturday he believed it was not yet time for the Philippines to shift to a parliamentary system, a controversial issue due to moves by Arroyo's allies to extend her term.

Aquino is also risking the support of influential Catholic bishops, staunch allies of his mother, over his position on a controversial reproductive health bill in Congress. Aquino supports the measure being pushed by his party.

"I will not steal," Aquino has made a vow in his political advertisements aired on radio and television, promising a clean and honest government and holding the current government accountable for rampant corruption.

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