FORMER Philippine National Police chief Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa and former special assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go are the Dabawenyos' top choice for senators, a survey showed.
“Nine out of every 10 respondents will vote for Bato and Bong Go, while six in every 10 respondents will vote for Tolentino and Pimentel. It can be observed that the top five candidates are from PDP-Laban, the rest come from NP, LDP, UNA and three are independents," University of Mindanao (UM) vice president for research and publication Ma. Linda Arquiza said during Habi at Kape media forum Wednesday, April 24.
According to the survey conducted by the University of Mindanao’s Institute of Popular Opinion (UM-IPO), 91.3 percent of Dabawenyos said they will vote for Dela Rosa if the elections were held today, while 91.3 percent said they will vote for Go.
Sharing the third to fourth places are Francis Tolentino (57.2 percent) and Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III (57.1 percent).
In fifth to eight places are Dong Mangudadatu (41.6 percent), Cynthia Villar (40.3 percent), Edgardo Sonny Angara (39.8 percent), and Grace Poe (37.8 percent).
Pia Cayetano (33.8 percent), Imee Marcos (31.6 percent), Nancy Binay (30.1 percent), and Freddie Aguilar (28.3 percent) ranked 9 to 12, while Serge Osmeña (24.7 percent) ranked 13th.
“Also, of the 11 candidates endorsed by PRRD (President Rodrigo R. Duterte), only JV Ejercito did not make it to the list," Arquiza said.
The three candidates not endorsed by Duterte who made it to the top 13 are Poe, Binay, and Osmeña.
Meanwhile, UM-IPO said "it is apparent that the Dutertes have the overwhelming support of the Dabawenyos."
Around 98 percent of the respondents said they will still vote for reelectionist Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio to continue her term as mayor.
Around 96 percent also said they would vote for her younger brother, Sebastian Duterte, who is running unopposed, for vice mayor.
The survey also revealed that Paolo Duterte, Vincent Garcia, and Isidro Ungab also have overwhelming support in their respective districts.
Mabel Acosta, J. Melchor Quitain Jr., Kap Ibuyan, Bonifacio Militar, Richard Duterte, Pilar Braga, Nilo Abellera, and Pamela Librado were revealed by the survey as the top eight councilors for the first district.
For the second district, Louie John Bonguyan, Danny Dayanghirang, Diosdado Mahipus, Florence Alejandre, Boogie Dureza, Javi Campos, Dante Apostol, and Jonard Dayap were the top eight councilors.
The survey also showed that the top eight councilors for the third district included Alberto Ungab, Cocoy Zozobrado, Sweet Advincula, Nonoy Al-ag, Conde Baluran, Joselle Villafuerte, Myrna Dalodo-Ortiz, and Petite Principe.
Respondents said the top five qualities they are looking at candidates are leadership ability, not involved in corruption, has a clear platform or program, family oriented, and with a good service track record.
The survey was conducted among 1,200 respondents on April 8 to 12 across the three districts in Davao City.