After just two months into the national campaign period, UniTeam presidential bet former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and vice presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte have built a survey lead over their rivals so huge that overtaking them is improbable, if not downright impossible.
“It is now statistically impossible to overtake Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte in time for the May 9 elections, which is just over a month away. This shows that the message of unity that has espoused by both Marcos and Duterte has truly stricken a chord with Filipinos,” said Quezon City mayoralty candidate Mike Defensor of Anakalusugan party-list.
Defensor is the UniTeam’s official mayoralty candidate in Quezon City. Marcos, based on the latest Pulse Asia survey results, has a 32-percentage point lead over his closest rival, Vice President Leni Robredo (56 percent and 24 percent, respectively).
In the case of Duterte, she has 36-percentage point lead over Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III who is second with 20 percent.
The congressman pointed to a comparative analysis of Pulse Asia presidential survey results in past elections beginning 2004 for roughly the same period (mid to end of March).
“There has never been a survey lead like that Marcos’s in the past wherein one could say at this point, ‘May nanalo na,’” Defensor said.
Figures show that in 2004, then-incumbent President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had a 3 -percentage point lead over Fernando Poe Jr. (34 percent and 31 percent, respectively) during this period.
In 2010, then-senator Benigno S. Aquino III had a 19-percentage point lead over former President Joseph Estrada (37 percent and 18 percent, respectively) at this time.
On the other hand, 11 percentage points separated the survey frontrunner Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte from former senator Mar Roxas (30 percent and 19 percent, respectively) in 2016.
Historically, most of the survey frontrunners for the Palace seat up to this point even increased their lead over their rivals during the April survey period before going on to win in the actual polls, according to Defensor.
The UniTeam tandem meanwhile will continue building on the wide voter support they enjoy, House Majority Leader Martin G. Romualdez said.
Romualdez, who is president of Lakas Christian-Muslim-Democrats (Lakas-CMD), said based on Pulse Asia’s March survey, 56 percent of voters would most likely choose BBM and Mayor Sara.
“We thank our people for keeping faith with our candidates. We pray that they will continue supporting them and sharing and spreading their message of hope, unity and patriotism,” Romualdez said.
He said UniTeam would revisit the areas around the country where it has campaigned and try to reach out to the remotest communities in the remaining days of the campaign.
In another survey, Marcos Jr. also leads. A Laylo Research survey conducted in March 15 to 22, 2022, Marcos got the highest voter preference of 61 percent from the 3, 000 respondents who have cellular phones.
At is Robredo with 18 percent, while Moreno I third with 10 percent; Manny Pacquiao 10 percent; and Lacson, two percent.
Of the respondents with Internet access, Marcos also got 61 percent while Robredo scored 18 percent; Domagoso 10 percent; Pacquiao 10 percent; and Lacson, two percent. With Rey E. Requejo
