All admin bets in Senate win circle – OCTA

MANILA, Philippines — Sixteen Senate candidates, including all from the administration slate, are within the winning margin based on the February survey by the OCTA Research group.

The non-commissioned survey from Feb. 22 to 28 showed ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo leading the candidates with the support of 66 percent of the respondents.

Sen. Bong Go (62 percent), media personality Ben Tulfo (59 percent), Sen. Bong Revilla (51 percent) and former Senate president Vicente Sotto III (47 percent) followed.

The next 11 candidates are all within statistical chances of winning a spot in the so-called Magic 12.

These include outgoing Makati Mayor Abby Binay (43 percent), Sen. Lito Lapid (43 percent), Las Piñas Rep. Camille Villar (40 percent), former senator Manny Pacquiao (40 percent), Sen. Pia Cayetano (39 percent), television host Willie Revillame (39 percent), Sen. Imee Marcos (38 percent), former senator Panfilo Lacson (38 percent), former interior secretary Benhur Abalos (38 percent), Sen. Ronald dela Rosa (35 percent) and Sen. Francis Tolentino (34 percent).

This was the first time that all 12 candidates of President Marcos’ Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas slate were within a survey’s winning margin.

The four not part of the President’s slate are Go and Dela Rosa of PDP-Laban and independent candidates Ben Tulfo and Revillame.

Trailing the frontrunners are former senators Francis Pangilinan (28 percent) and Bam Aquino (27 percent), actor Phillip Salvador (24 percent) and former senator Gregorio Honasan (24 percent).

The survey was conducted several weeks into the campaign period, after the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte but before the arrest and surrender of former president Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court.