MANILA, Philippines — Broadcast journalist Raffy Tulfo with a 68.4 voter preference, Taguig Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano (59.9 percent) and Sorsogon Gov. Francis Escudero (57.3 percent) have topped Pulse Asia’s latest pre-election senatorial survey.
The poll, conducted from Oct. 28 to Nov. 1 and the results released yesterday, also showed Antique Rep. Loren Legarda (50 percent) and former public works secretary Mark Villar (49.4 percent) in the top five.
Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri (48.4 percent), former vice president Jejomar Binay (46.1 percent), former senator Jinggoy Estrada (45.4 percent), Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian (42.0 percent) and action star Robin Padilla join them in the higher rungs.
Sen. Joel Villanueva (38.1 percent) and Sen. Risa Hontiveros (37 percent) also make the winning circle, while former senator Gregorio Honasan (33.8 percent), Sen. Richard Gordon (32.1 percent) and former senator JV Ejercito Estrada are at 13th to 15th spot.
Ranking 16th to 20th place in the survey are former senator Antonio Trillanes IV, former Quezon City mayor Herbert Bautista, presidential spokesman Harry Roque, former defense secretary Gilbert Teodoro and Sen. Leila de Lima.
Pulse Asia said the poll asked respondents to choose 12 aspirants who they will most likely vote for if the May 2022 elections were held today.
Eleazar guns for Senate
Days following his retirement from the police force, former Philippine National Police chief Guillermo Eleazar announced yesterday that he would be running for the Senate in next year’s elections.
In a statement, Eleazar’s camp said he was sworn into Partido Reporma – whose standard bearer is Sen. Panfilo Lacson, also a former PNP chief.
Eleazar said Lacson himself convinced him to run for the Senate during a meeting this year, and swore him into the party yesterday.
Lacson, Eleazar added, told him to replicate his reforms within the PNP to restore the “trust and confidence” in the police.
“I have yet to have a complete legislative agenda but I can say that this will be related to peace and order and social reform,” Eleazar said in Filipino.
Eleazar became PNP chief in May this year and marked his tenure with internal cleansing policies within the ranks. – Neil Jayson Servallos, Paolo Romero