Veteran lawmaker and incumbent Sorsogon Governor Chiz Escudero is the No. 2 pick among candidates vying for the 12 seats in Senate, according to a survey commissioned by Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone within the province.
The survey showed that Escudero was chosen by 51.79 percent of the 1,788 respondents randomly picked from the province’s 22 municipalities and Borongan City.
There were 338,718 registered voters in Eastern Samar in the 2019 mid-term polls, according to data from the Commission on Elections.
The results of the Eastern Samar survey solidified the veteran legislator’s standing as a consistent top pick of sampled voters from various independent surveys ahead of the May 9 National Elections.
In another provincial survey recently, Escudero was No. 1 in Laguna, with 56.81 percent of the 1,556 respondents polled province-wide choosing him.
A former senator for two terms, Escudero said that if elected to the Senate again, he will prioritize measures to make the nation’s pandemic response more agile, empower the local government units (LGUs), and ensure the judicious and wise utilization of the annual budget to help transition the pandemic-weary economy to recovery, among others.
President Duterte has recently endorsed Escudero’s senatorial bid, citing his solid track record as a veteran lawmaker which, he said, will be crucial in crafting key pieces of legislation and reforms at a time when the country is besieged with challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Duterte’s daughter, Davao City Mayor and vice-presidential candidate Sara Duterte-Carpio is personally backing Escudero’s Senate comeback bid.
The tandems of Senator Ping Lacson and Senate President Tito Sotto; Vice President Leni Robredo and Senator Kiko Pangilinan; and Senator Manny Pacquiao and Rep. Lito Atienza have adopted Escudero in their senatorial slates.
Mayors from CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) and Eastern Samar, who belong to the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP), have likewise endorsed Escudero.
Several party-list groups are also supporting his Senate return bid, namely Ang Probinsyano, Ang Kabuhayan, Agimat, An Waray, ARISE, BHW, BTS, Kusog Bikolano, KAPUSO-PM, and Magdalo.
The 200,000-strong Federation of Free Farmers (FFF), one of the biggest non-government organizations in the country, has committed to campaign for Escudero. #