The 2010 presidential race in the Philippines heats up with the latest survey showing Senator Manny Villar overtaking Senator Loren Legarda at second place and challenging Vice President Noli de Castro for the lead.
Philippine Vice-President Noli L. de Castro remains the top choice to succeed President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo during the 2010 presidential election but Senate President Manuel B. Villar, Jr. has vaulted from third to second place and is now within striking distance of De Castro, a new survey showed Friday.
De Castro’s rating actually dipped from the 31 percent he registered last June to 29 percent in the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.
Villar was fast closing in, getting the nod of 28 percent of the respondents, as he leapfrogged over erstwhile second placer Senator Loren Legarda who was now in third place with 26 percent.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson remained at fourth spot with 17 percent, followed by Sen. Francis Escudero (16 percent), former President Joseph Estrada (13 percent), and Sen. Manuel "Mar" Roxas (13 percent).
Amado M. Mendoza, Jr., a political analyst at the University of the Philippines, said De Castro, Villar and Legarda are practically running neck and neck in the presidential race. "Given the margin of error, they are almost of the same rank," he said.
He said De Castro continued to keep his lead because of his popularity as a former mediaman and for his apparently clean record, not having been involved in any controversial issue.
Mendoza said Villar’s meteoric rise could be due to his avowed aim to support overseas Filipino workers. The senator has been running advertisements in almost all media venues touting the assistance he has been extending to OFWs.
"But this could be a seasonal variation," Mendoza cautioned.
Surprisingly, Arroyo reappeared in the survey, scoring 1 percent along with Metro Manila Development Authority chief Bayani Fernando; senators Antonio Trillanes IV, Juan Ponce Enrile, Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Richard Gordon, Jose "Jinggoy" Estrada, Maria Ana Consuelo "Jamby" Madrigal, and Pia Cayetano; and former House Speaker Jose de Venecia.
Arroyo has long been the subject of speculations that she wanted to change the Philippine Constitution to enable her to stay in power longer than allowed by law.
Scores of half a percent each were recorded for senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr.
Nine percent of the respondents could not give an answer or had no one to recommend.
De Castro welcomed the latest presidential survey results, saying he would continue promoting the interest of the poor. "I thank the people for their continued trust and confidence in me ... I appreciate their support and view it as an appreciation of my sincerity to seek solutions to their problems," he said.
Margaux Salcedo, spokesman of Estrada, said the results showed the former President still enjoyed support. "Even if former President Estrada was ousted, a lot of people believe that his ouster was unconstitutional, a power grab. Even if he was convicted by the Sandiganbayan, the fact that Filipinos still trust him show that they regard the charges against him as untrue," she said.
For its part, the Arroyo administration said it is not giving much importance to the results. "Even if the survey said 1 percent wants the President to replace herself in 2010, we will not give much significance to the result. What we are focusing on is good governance so the country can weather the global economic crisis," Press Secretary Jesus G. Dureza said.
The SWS survey was conducted from Sept. 24-27, 2008. Some 1,500 adults across the Philippines were interviewed frace-to-face by SWS survey teams. The sampling error margins were 2.5 percent for national percentages and 6 percent for Metro Manila, Visayas and Mindanao.
Respondents were asked: "Under the present Constitution, the term of President Arroyo is up to 2010 only, and there will be an election for a new president in May 2010. Who do you think are good leaders who should succeed President Arroyo as president? You may give up to three names."
