Sorsogon Governor Chiz Escudero has remained the No. 1 choice for senator in the latest survey conducted by Publicus Asia from March 9-14, 2022, after almost 50 percent of the respondents picked him during a nationwide pre-election poll.
Escudero, a veteran legislator who is seeking a Senate return in the May 9 election, has retained his survey standing for four consecutive quarters of the PAHAYAG pre-election surveys by Publicus.
In the latest survey, Escudero was selected by 48.8 percent of the 1,500 respondents among the pre-listed candidates vying for the 12 seats in the Senate.
The sampling was guided by the statistics generated from the official data of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), Publicus said.
A former senator for two terms, Escudero said he will prioritize measures to make the nation’s pandemic response more agile, empower local government units, and ensure the judicious and prudent use of the annual budget to help transition the pandemic-weary economy to recovery, among others, if elected to the Senate again.
President Duterte has endorsed Escudero’s senatorial bid, saying the governor will play a big role 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.
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.
Duterte’s daughter, Davao City Mayor and vice-presidential candidate Sara Duterte-Carpio is personally backing Escudero’s Senate comeback bid, while 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 him.
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.