Sorsogon Governor Chiz Escudero emerged as the No. 1 choice among more than 60 candidates vying for the 12 seats in the Senate, according to a Metro Manila-wide survey conducted by Publicus Asia.
The survey from April 8 to 13, or less than a month before the May 9 national election, showed that Escudero, the only incumbent governor running for senator, was the top choice of 47.3% of 1,625 respondents, based on Publicus PAHAYAG NCR Tracker.
In its website, Publicus Asia explained that the survey samples were drawn from a market research maintained by PureSpectrum, a US-based panel marketplace with multinational presence. The sample-wide margin of error is +/- 3%.
“The final survey research panel was restricted to registered voters. Parameters based on respondent age and gender were utilized in the sample formulation in order for the resulting sample to conform more closely to the features of the voting population, as defined by statistics from the COMELEC,” it said.
If elected to the Senate anew, Escudero said he would focus on giving more autonomy to local government units, ensure the judicious and wise utilization of the annual budget, and help transition the pandemic-weary economy to recovery, among others.
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. 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.
The League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) has also included Escudero in the list of six senatorial bets it is endorsing for the May 9 polls.
Mayors from CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) and Eastern Samar, who belong to the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP), are likewise backing Escudero’s Senate return.
The former senator is also endorsed by several party-list groups, including Ang Probinsyano, Ang Kabuhayan, Agimat, An Waray, ARISE, BHW, BTS, Kusog Bikolano, KAPUSO-PM and Uswag Ilonggo, as well as the youth-oriented group Nationalist Social-Democratic Society.
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.
The former senator also remains among the top favorites of students to win the senatorial race, according to campus mock polls conducted by at least 36 colleges and universities across the country.