AFTER overtaking Vice President Jejomar Binay in Pulse Asia’s latest presidential survey, another poll showed Senator Grace Poe is now the most preferred successor to President Benigno Aquino III.
The June 5 to 8 survey of Social Weather Stations (SWS) found that 42 percent of the 1,200 respondents named Poe as their choice when asked to enumerate three names of good leaders to succeed Aquino in June 2016.
Poe’s rating improved by 11 percent from 31 percent in March.
Hounded by corruption allegations, Binay yielded the number one post and slipped to second place with a voter preference of 34 percent, down two points from March's 32 percent.
Despite the result, Binay's camp said he is thankful for the "unwavering support" of the public as "reflected" in the survey.
"The campaign continues to learn from the ground and adjust its efforts accordingly. The Vice President respects the survey results. He sees them as barometers of the pulse of the public at a point in time. He will continue to listen to the people," said Binay's spokesperson Joey Salgado.
Poe said she was "truly humbled" by the latest SWS survey results.
"I am very grateful that more people appreciate the kind of public service that I strive to uphold - transparent, honest and efficient," she said.
Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II, the administration's presumptive presidential candidate, was third with 21 percent from 15 percent in March.
Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte was fourth with 20 percent, up by five points from 15 percent in March.
Rounding out the list were Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada and former senator Panfilo Lacson with seven percent each, Senators Francis Escudero and Miriam Defensor Santiago who both received four percent, Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. with three percent and Senator Alan Peter Cayetano with two percent.
The survey used sampling error margins of ± 3 percent for national and ± 6 percent for area percentages at the 95 percent confidence level. (Sunnex)