WITH the administration of President Marcos Jr. merely a year old, a list of potential contenders in the 2028 presidential race is already emerging.
Leading the list is Vice President Sara Duterte, followed by Sen. Raffy Tulfo, former Vice President Leni Robredo, former President Rodrigo Duterte, and former senator Manny Pacquiao.
This is based on a survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS), conducted from April 12 to 18, and commissioned by businessman and former Rep Arnel Ty of party-list group LPG Marketers Association Inc (LPGMA).
The survey on the top 10 “Best Leader to Succeed President Marcos Jr as President” showed Duterte with 28 percent, Tulfo 11 percent, Robredo 6 percent, Rodrigo Duterte 3 percent, and Pacquiao 2 percent).
Other personalities, including Marcos, got 1 percent. They are Senators Robinhood Padilla and presidential sister Imee Marcos, former Manila mayor and 2022 presidential candidate Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, and presidential son Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos.
The SWS poll also showed that close to a majority or 41 percent had no answer or refused to give an answer while 4 percent had other answers and 1 percent had unspecified names.
‘BEST CANDIDATE’
The survey also found that Vice President Duterte was also the top choice as the “best candidate” to succeed the President in 2028, across geographical locations (18 percent to 49 percent) and locale (25 percent to 29 percent).
She obtained the highest support from Mindanao (49 percent) followed by the Visayas (27 percent), Metro Manila (25 percent) and Luzon (18 percent). Twenty-nine percent of those from the urban area and 25 percent from the rural area also chose the Vice President as possible successor of Marcos.
SWS said the survey involved 1,200 adult respondents nationwide and had a sampling error margin of ±3 percent.
A similar survey, also commissioned by Ty, showed that Pacquiao topped the list of voters’ preferred senators.
Also in the top 12 were Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr.; former senator Vicente Sotto III, Sen. Christopher Go (4th); former senator Manuel Villar Jr.; incumbent senators Manuel Lapid, Ronald dela Rosa, and Imee Marcos (8th); former Social Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo; former President Rodrigo Duterte; former senator Panfilo Lacson; and Senator Pia Cayetano.
Other personalities named by the respondents include Moreno, Robredo, former Vice President Jejomar Binay, lawyer Chel Diokno, former senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Francis Pangilinan, Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto, Sen. Francis Tolentino, and former senator Richard Gordon.
Also mentioned were former presidential spokesman Harry Roque, lawyer Larry Gadon, former senator Bam Aquino, former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, TV host Willie Revillame, Dr. Willie Ong, former Senate President Franklin Drilon, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, former senator Gringo Honasan, and former Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista.
