Noynoy, Mar keep survey lead
By Aurea Calica (The Philippine Star) Updated April 23, 2010 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - Liberal Party (LP) presidential candidate Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and his running mate Sen. Manuel Roxas II have maintained their leads in various surveys three weeks before the elections.

The Manila Broadcasting Co.-dzRH survey on April 16 with 6,900 respondents showed Aquino leading the race with 38.6 percent, followed by Nacionalista Party standard-bearer Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. with 22.8 percent. Former President Joseph Estrada of the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino got 21.2 percent; former Defense secretary Gilberto Teodoro of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD, 11.3 percent; Eddie Villanueva of Bangon Pilipinas, 2.7 percent; Sen. Richard Gordon of Bagumbayan, 1.6 percent.

Vetellano Acosta, who had been disqualified, got 0.3 percent, while environmentalist Nicanor Perlas and Sen. Jamby Madrigal each got 0.2 percent. Olongapo City Councilor JC de los Reyes scored 0.1 percent.

In the vice presidential race, Roxas registered a 41.4 percent rating while Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay got 27.3 percent and Sen. Loren Legarda, 22.9 percent.

Former Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Bayani Fernando got 2.9 percent; former Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Perfecto Yasay, 0.9 percent; news anchor Jay Sonza, 0.4 percent and Dominador Chipeco, 0.1 percent.

Aquino and Roxas also topped surveys by local governments.

In Iloilo City, a survey conducted from April 17 to 18 with 600 respondents showed Aquino garnering 45.5 percent, followed by Villar with 29.5 percent; Teodoro, 9.5 percent; Estrada, 7.8 percent; Perlas and Villanueva, one percent each; and Gordon, 0.5 percent.

Roxas got 71.2 percent; Binay, 11.5 percent; Legarda 10.7 percent; actor Edu Manzano, 1.2 percent; Fernando, one percent; and Yasay, one percent.

In Legazpi City, a survey dated March 26-29 showed Aquino was favored by 54.3 percent of respondents; Villar, 23 percent; Estrada, 6.2 percent; Teodoro, 5.4 percent; Gordon, 1.3 percent; Villanueva, 0.7 percent; De los Reyes, 0.3 percent. Madrigal got zero.

Roxas received 54.9 percent; Binay, 18 percent; Legarda 17.2 percent; Fernando, 1.5 percent; Manzano, 0.8 percent; Yasay, 0.3 percent; and Sonza, 0.1 percent.

In Davao, an April 20 survey among 6,000 respondents also showed Aquino leading with 46.18 percent; Estrada, 31.07 percent; Villar, 12.40 percent; and Teodoro, 5.57 percent.

Roxas got 50.11 percent; Binay 28.29 percent; Legarda 15.59 percent; and Manzano, 1.42 percent.

LP campaign manager Florencio Abad said they were furnished the survey results by various groups and local officials who commissioned them.

Aquino and Roxas, in a statement, vowed to rev up their campaign and not be distracted by black propaganda.

Roxas, also LP president, said the party was banking on an outpouring of support from various sectors and defectors from other camps as a result of their positive campaigning.

Earlier, Albay Gov. Joey Salceda bolted the administration party to support Aquino and Roxas.

Several national unions affiliated with the Lakas Manggagawa Labor Center have formed an umbrella group called Workers for Aquino and Roxas.

The group comprises the Philippine Association of Free Labor Unions, Alliance of Filipino Workers, Union of Filipino Workers, Construction Workers Solidarity, Workers Welfare Watch-Philippines, Ladies Garments Textile Workers Welfare Association and the National Labor Union.

Meanwhile, a Filipino seaman was the first to vote personally on Wednesday in the overseas absentee voting (OAV) at the Philippine consulate in Los Angeles.

The consulate said Ulysses Tumamak Toling became the first registered seafarer to cast his vote at the Consulate General.

Meanwhile, the Philippine embassy in Tel Aviv said overseas absentee voters continue to flock to the embassy to cast their votes. The Overseas Absentee Voting officially opened last April 10. With Pia Lee-Brago

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Noynoy still leads in survey commissioned by Villar ally


Presidential candidate Sen. Benigno “Noynoy" Aquino III (Liberal Party) remains on top in a recent survey commissioned by an ally of rival Sen. Manny Villar Jr. (Nacionalista Party) .

According to the results of the survey conducted from March 28 to 30 and purportedly commissioned by House Minority Floor Leader Ronaldo Zamora, Villar scored 29 percentage points, or eight points behind Aquino’s 37.

The NP claimed the survey was from Social Weather Station (SWS), although the poll firm has yet to confirm it. Calls made by GMANews.TV to its office were not answered.

In the SWS survey last month that was commissioned by BusinessWorld, Villar got 28 percent while Aquino got 37 percent.

In a statement, the NP still expressed exultation over the latest survey, saying it was a “leap" from the 12-point lead enjoyed by Aquino in the March 21 to 28 survey by rival pollster Pulse Asia, where the LP bet got 37 percent compared to Villar’s 25.

“That’s a leap of four points [25 percent in Pulse Asia to 29 percent in SWS], immediately after the field personnel of the other survey firm were just wrapping up their own results," said NP senatorial candidate and spokesperson Gilbert Remulla in a statement.

“Misleading the public"

The LP, meanwhile, castigated NP for allegedly trying to mislead the public by hyping on the supposed cut in Aquino's lead.

In a text message, LP spokesman and Quezon Rep. Erin Tañada said if the Zamora-commissioned survey is true, then it showed that Villar gained only a point – from 28 percent to 29 percent – compared to the SWS poll that preceded it.

“You do not compare survey results from different survey companies," he pointed out, adding that the four-point cut in Aquino’s lead that the LP stated in its statement was actually based on the results of SWS and Pulse Asia surveys.

“Again the NP is trying to mislead the public," Tañada said. “Obviously the NP is desperately trying to look for ways to cover up the fact that the lead of Senator Aquino seems to be stable if you compared the commissioned and the non-commissioned surveys of the SWS."

He added that the one-point gain by Villar in the two SWS surveys “is within the margin of error and is negligible."

The LP has accused Villar of being the “secret candidate" of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Other presidential bets

The Zamora-commissioned poll also showed former president Joseph Estrada (Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino) falling to 17 percent from previous 19 percent, and administration bet Gilberto Teodoro (Lakas-Kampi-CMD) picking up two points to score eight percent.

The statement did not indicate the preference ratings for other presidential aspirants Sen. Richard Gordon (Bagumbayan), evangelist Eddie Villanueva (Bangon Pilipinas), Sen. Jamby Madrigal (independent), environmentalist Nicanor Perlas (independent), and Olongapo City councilor John Carlos delos Reyes (Ang Kapatiran). - KBK, GMANews.TV

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Villar falls 4 points; Aquino, Erap, Gibo steady: Pulse Asia

ABS CBN News

MANILA, Philippines (1st UPDATE) - Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III leads in the latest Pulse Asia survey with a 12 percentage-point advantage over closest rival, Sen. Manuel “Manny” Villar, Jr.

In the Pulse Asia survey conducted from March 21 to 28, Aquino got 37% support followed by Villar with 25%, former President Joseph Estrada with 18%, administration bet Gilbert Teodoro with 7%, Sen. Richard Gordon with 2%, Bro. Eddie Villanueva with 3%.

Nicanor Perlas, John Carlos "JC" de los Reyes, and Jamby Madrigal were chosen by less than 1% of respondents.

Aquino was statistically the same as in the February 21-25 survey while Villar dropped by 4 percentage points. He widened his lead over Villar from 7 points in February to 12 points in March 21 to 28.

Estrada was steady at 18%, and Teodoro also failed to get more support with 7%, the same level as in February.

All the other candidates did not improve their survey ratings.

'Noynoy sustains lead'

"Senator Benigno 'Noynoy' C. Aquino III sustains his lead in the presidential race," Pulse Asia said in its April 6 media release from Prof. Ronald Holmes, president of the polling firm.

"Senator Aquino enjoys a slight significant lead over the second running contender in almost all areas and socio-economic classes ranging from a low of 7 percent in the Balance Luzon (where Sen. Aquino's preference is at 33% versus Sen. Villar's 26%) to a high 32% for the upper socio-economic class ABC (where Sen. Aquino's voting support is at 49% against 17% for Sen. Villar)," Pulse Asia said.

"In Mindanao and the lowest socio-economic class E, Sen. Aquino's preferences (37% and 34%) are statistically close to the preferences of former President Estrada (in Mindanao at 29%) and Senator Villar (for Class E at 28%)," the survey firm added.

Mar keeps lead, Binay gaining over Loren

In the vice-presidential race, Sen. Manuel "Mar" Roxas II kept a comfortable 20 percentage-point lead over closest rival, Sen. Loren Legarda. He had 43% support while Legarda got 23%.

Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay continued to improve in the surveys, gaining 4 percentage points from 15% in February to 19% in March 21 to 28.

Legarda fell by 4 percentage points, from 27% in February to 23% in March 21 to 28.

The rest of the candidates--Bayani Fernando (3%), Edu Manzano (2%), Perfecto Yasay (1%), Jay Sonza (0.5%), Dominador Chipeco (0.1%)--did not improve their survey ratings.

The latest survey was done with 3,000 adult respondents with a margin of error of plus/minus 2%. A sample ballot "that is a facsimile of the COMELEC official ballot" was used for the survey.

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