PRESIDENTIAL candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and his running mate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, topped the January 19 to 24 Pulse Asia electoral survey which showed that majority of Filipinos would vote for them if the May 9 elections were held today.
The Pulse survey, which involved 2,400 adult respondents nationwide and had a margin of error of ±2 percent, showed that 60 percent would vote for Marcos, up from 53 percent in December 2021, while 50 percent would vote for Duterte-Carpio, up from 45 percent in December.
Pulse Asia said Vice President Leni Robredo followed Marcos with 16 percent (down from 20 percent in December), Sen. Emmanuel Pacquiao and Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, both with 8 percent (unchanged), and Sen. Panfilo Lacson at 4 percent (down from 6 percent). Other presidential aspirants received less than 1 percent.
In the vice presidential race, in second was Lacson’s running mate Senate President Vicente Sotto III with 29 percent (down from 31 percent); Sen. Francis Pangilinan, 11 percent (statistically unchanged from 12 percent, Robredo’s VP); Wilie Ong with 5 percent (statistically unchanged from 6 percent, Moreno team; and Rep. Lito Atienza with 1 percent (unchanged, Pacquiao’s running mate). Other vice presidential aspirants received less than 1 percent.
Pulse released the survey results a day after Marcos and Duterte-Carpio was endorsed by the El Shaddai group headed by Mike Velarde.
But the group’s spiritual adviser, retired Novaliches Bishop Teodoro Bacani, yesterday said group members are “not obliged to follow” Velarde’s “opinion.”
He also said Velarde should think twice about supporting Marcos.
“And I believe it is downright wrong to endorse Marcos Jr. I dissociate myself from that endorsement. I hope Bro. Mike (Velarde) searches more deeply into his conscience,” Bacani said.
El Shaddai, which has around six million members, has been known to endorse and support candidates even if its members do not vote as a bloc.
Bacani said if Velarde indeed endorsed Marcos and Duterte-Carpio, “that is his right but he cannot impose his choice on the El Shaddai prayer partners.” Velarde made the endorsement during an El Shaddai gathering in Parañaque City on Saturday night. He said his personal belief and philosophy are similar to the call for unity and hope of the Marcos-Carprio team, and it is the reason he is endorsing the “UniTeam.”
Velarde said he has given instructions to El Shaddai’s provincial chapters and chapters abroad to help the candidates he endorsed.
The UniTeam continued their campaign in parts of Metro Manila. Marcos, accompanied by his son Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos who is also running in the elections to represent Ilocos Norte’s first district in the House of Representatives, made the rounds in Makati City. Marcos’ wife Louise “Liza Araneta-Marcos and son William Vincent Marcos joined the campaign rally in Mandaluyong City.
The Pulse survey, which involved 2,400 adult respondents nationwide and had a margin of error of ±2 percent, showed that 60 percent would vote for Marcos, up from 53 percent in December 2021, while 50 percent would vote for Duterte-Carpio, up from 45 percent in December.
Marcos is the choice of the majority across geographical locations (53 percent to 66 percent) and socio-economic status (50 percent to 61 percent). He obtained his highest support from Mindanao with 66 percent followed by Luzon (61 percent), Metro Manila (58 percent) and Visayas (53 percent); and socio-economic class D with 61 percent followed by class E (56 [percent) and C (50 percent).
Moreno is the first choice of respondents for alternative president with 24 percent (statistically unchanged from 23 percent in December) should their first choice of candidate be not available.
Except for Luzon where Sotto is first choice for vice president (37 percent), Duterte-Carpio is the top choice in Mindanao (84 percent), Visayas (47 percent) and Metro Manila (40 percent) and the second choice in Luzon (36 percent).
She is also the top choice across socio-economic status with 55 percent among Class E, 53 percent from Class C, and 49 percent among Class D.
Sotto is the first choice of respondents for alternative vice president with 35 percent (up from 32 percent in December) should their first choice of candidate be not available.
Among the individuals running for senator, the top 12 choices are broadcaster Raffy Tulfo (66.1 percent), Reps. Alan Peter Cayetano (58.2 percent) and Loren Legarda (58 percent), Sorsogon Gov. Francis Escudero (55.7 percent), former Public Works secretary Mark Villar (52.9 percent), re-electionist senators Juan Miguel Zubiri (50.3 percent) and Sherwin Gatchalian (45.9 percent), former Vice President Jejomar Binay (44.5 percent), former senator Jinggoy Estrada and re-electionist Joel Villanueva (40.4 percent), re-elecionist Risa Hontiveros (37.1 percent), and actor Robin Padilla (35.9 percent);
Former senator JV Estrada Ejercito (33.9 percent), re-electionist Richard Gordon (28.4 percent), former Quezon City mayor Herbert Bautista (26.8 percent), and former Information and Communications Secretary Gregorio Honasan (24.8 percent).
Labor leader and presidential candidate Leody de Guzman slammed the Commission on Election’s dismissal of the petition to disqualify Marcos and said it is a betrayal of ordinary taxpayers.
The standard bearer of the Partido Lakas ng Masa said the Comelec stand was lamentable as he noted that Marcos violated the law requiring the filing of income tax returns, multiple times.
Based on the three consolidated petitions junked by the poll body last Thursday, Marcos did not file his income tax returns for four consecutive years from 1982 to 1985.
De Guzman reminded the Comelec that it is the taxpayers’ money that is being spent for the 2022 elections but the ruling gave an influential political figure a free pass while even the lowest wages are deducted taxes. — With Raymond Africa and Peter Tabingo
“Ibinasura ang disqualification case laban kay Ferdinand Jr., isang kandidato na nasintensiyahan dahil sa hindi pagbabayad ng buwis. Samantalang ang mga botante ay otomatikong pinagbubuwis sa kanilang kakarampot na kinikita at pang-araw araw na mga gastusin (It threw out the disqualification case against Ferdinand Jr. a candidate who is guilty of non-payment of taxes, while the voters are automatically levied taxes no matter how small their daily wages),” he said.
De Guzman said that with the Comelec ruling, it is now up to the voting public to decide Marcos’ fate.
