(Eagle News) – Senator Grace Poe remains on top as the presidential bet preferred by many Filipinos in the upcoming 2016 national elections, according to the latest survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).
The survey, made from Sept. 2 to 5,showed Poe with a 47% score, or an increase of five points from the last opinion poll of the SWS conducted last June 5 to 8.
Former Interior and Local Government secretary Mar Roxas, on the other hand, took the second spot with 39 percent, which was 18 points higher than the previous survey where he got only 21 percent.
He thus overtook Vice-President Jejomar Binay – the previous second placer – in this latest SWS poll which was done after his endorsement as the Liberal Party standard bearer by President Aquino.
Binay got 35 percent – up by 1 percent from the previous June 5 to 8 SWS poll – but this was not enough to make it to second place, as Roxas surged ahead with 39 percent in the Sept. 2 to 5 survey.
A total of 1,200 respondents was asked to give three names of presidential candidates whom they prefer to succeed President Aquino when he steps down in 2016.
The exact question asked in the SWS survey was: “Ayon sa Konstitusyon, ang termino ni Pang. Noynoy Aquino ay hanggang sa taong 2016 lamang at magkakaroon ng halalan para sa pagka-pangulo sa Mayo 2016. Sinu-sino sa palagay ninyo ang mga magagaling na lider na dapat pumalit kay Pang. Aquino bilang Presidente? Maaari po kayong magbanggit ng hanggang tatlong sagot.” (“According to the Constitution, the term of Pres. Noynoy Aquino is up to 2016 only, and there will be an election for a new President in May 2016. Who do you think are the good leaders who should succeed Pres. Aquino as President? You may give up to three names“]
The latest SWS poll was done before Poe formally announced her intention to run for president on September 16.