MANILA – According to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released today, majority of Filipinos would most likely vote Senator Grace Poe should she ran for vice-president in the 2016 elections.
The SWS poll results showed that 26 percent of the 1,200 respondents named Poe as their top candidate for the country’s second highest post. These respondents were not given a list of choices and were allowed only one choice.
Poe was then followed by Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II with 12 percent; Vice President Jejomar Binay with 7 percent; Senator Francis Escudero with 6 percent; Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago with 5 percent; Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte with 4 percent; Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. with 3 percent; and Senator Alan Peter Cayetano with 3 percent.
Other potential candidates completing the list were Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada with 3 percent; Senator Antonio Trillanes IV with 3 percent, Senator Loren Legarda with 1.7 percent; former senator Panfilo Lacson with 1.6 percent; former senator Manuel Villar, Jr. with 0.6 percent, Senator Jinggoy Estrada with 0.6 percent; and Batangas Governor Vilma Santos-Recto with 0.6 percent.
The SWS survey, however, mentioned that some 7 percent of the respondents had not recommended any candidate and another 13 percent had no answer.
No declaration of candidacy
With Poe’s impressive standing in surveys, United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) presidential candidate Vice President Jejomar Binay and Liberal Party political public affairs adviser Edgar Erice wanted her to run for vice president under their parties.
Poe, for her part, had not yet declared running for vice president in the 2016 elections. She had also clarified that she had not received any formal offer from the two ruling parties. She remained an independent to date.
“There had been no formal offer from them. No feelers or hints about an offer… I cannot comment on the possibilities,” Poe said.
It can be remembered that in an earlier SWS poll, Poe emerged as the second top bet for president in the 2016 elections with 31 percent, closely following Binay with 36 percent.
Poe’s popularity level continued to go up while Binay’s ratings weakened as more corruption allegations were presented against him.
“Sen. Poe-Llamanzares is already expected to be the runaway preferred choice for vice-president, considering that she is number two in the case of the presidential survey. (She has) significant popularity. Either way, Sen. Poe should be a winnable candidate for both (positions),” the recent SWS report said, quoting UST political science professor Edmund Tayao.