MANILA -- Re-electionist Senator Pia Cayetano is the top pick among Davaoeno voters in a survey commissioned by radio station network Bombo Radyo Philippines.
The survey of 1,200 respondents conducted by the private research group, Random Access Consultants, Inc. (RACI) showed Cayetano leading the list of senatorial bets with 43.5 percent voter preference.
Joining Cayetano in the “Magic 12” are fellow incumbents Jinggoy Estrada and Miriam Defensor-Santiago at second and third places, with 41.3 percent and 38.6 percent voter preference, respectively.
Fourth on the list is former senator Franklin Drilon (37.7 percent), followed by incumbent Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile (36.1 percent), Senator Bong Revilla (34.8 percent), Ralph Recto (27.7 percent), Tito Sotto (25.6 percent), and Serge Osmena III (24.8 percent).
The last three places went to Gwendolyn Pimentel (21.7 percent), Representative Bongbong Marcos (18.2 percent) and Representative Ruffy Biazon (17.8 percent).
Cayetano, who runs under the Nacionalista Party of Senator Manny Villar, said she was “elated” over the survey while thanking Davaoenos for their support.
"The survey indicates that the people of Davao City are aware and fully appreciative of the legislative work I've done in my first six years in the Senate," she said in a statement.
The 44-year-old senator and triathlete co-authored the following laws in her first six years in the Senate: Expanded Senior Citizens Act; Magna Carta of Women; Expanded Breastfeeding Act; Cheaper Medicines Law; and Food and Drugs Administration Law, among others.
The survey used multi-stage probability sampling on voting age members from 64 barangays in the three districts of Davao City. The RACI survey has a +/- 3 percent error margin at the 95 percent confidence level.
Davao City is the fourth-largest Philippine city in terms of population, with registered voters of more than 940,000. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)