FORMER President Rodrigo Duterte garners a 32 percent voter preference in the 2025 Senatorial Election, based on the Pahayag Second Quarter (PQ2-2024) survey.
Duterte and Congressman Erwin Tulfo of ACT-CIS Partylist are statistically tied in second place after Dr. Willie Ong, a prominent cardiologist, who leads with 39 percent.
Dabawenyo re-electionists Senator Christopher “Bong” Go has a voting predisposition of 29 percent and Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa has 22 percent.
Meanwhile, Senator Ping Lacson maintains a voting predisposition of 32 percent, while former Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and former Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso have a voting predisposition of 29 percent.
Re-electionist Senator Imee Marcos follows closely with a 26 percent voting predisposition, with former Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan behind at 25 percent.
Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro and re-electionist Senator Pia Cayetano both have a voting predisposition of 23 percent.
Human rights lawyer Atty. Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno falls last with 21 percent.
Pahayag stated that based on their survey, new entrants to the Senate seat as well as former senators are gaining ground among the public. It further noted that the number of undecided voters is increasing, with these voters hesitating between pro-administration or pro-opposition stances.
“Following the trend observed in previous Pahayag survey releases, incumbent re-electionists have seen a decline in their approval ratings, though they still maintain positions within the top 12,” Pahayag wrote in their press release on July 12, 2024.
Cian Juegos, a fourth-year college student, told SunStar Davao that upon hearing news that three Dutertes would run for a Senate seat, he was not shocked, given how the Dutertes have handled politics. He said none of them would actually run and that this was just for media mileage.
“Here we go again, this is just for media mileage. I know none of them will actually run. They will just unanimously endorse Sara Duterte for president in the next election,” he said.
Isaiah John Guanzon, Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) chairperson in Tugbok Proper, expressed that the older Duterte has explicitly stated that he will no longer enter politics due to old age. However, the survey results show that the public believes his age will not be a hindrance in serving the people.
“Sa survey, nagpasabot ni that people still believes on the capacity of FPRRD na mamahimong legislator and sa iyahang edad dili ni mamahimong hindrance kung ang katawhan jud mag-awhag sa iya aron mudagan isip senador,” he said.
(In the survey, it means that people still believe in the capacity of FPRRD to become a legislator and at his age, it will not be a hindrance if the people encourage him to run as a senator)
To recall, Vice President Sara Duterte announced on June 25, 2024, that three Dutertes would be entering the senatorial race, confirming their participation in next year’s election. However, on June 30, 2024, the patriarch refuted his daughter’s claims, stating his reasons as his waning influence, old age, and insufficient funds for the campaign. RGP