MANILA—Independent presidential candidate Senator Grace Poe said on Sunday she was overwhelmed and at the same time humbled after regaining the lead in the latest Pulse Asia survey for presidential aspirants.
Based on the January survey results, Poe garnered 33 percent while erstwhile leader Vice President Jejomar Binay dropped to second spot together with administration candidate Mar Roxas and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.
”It echoes the voice of the people who trust and believe in my capacity to be a leader no matter what hurdles are thrown my way,” Poe said in a press statement.
”The Filipinos will always be my inspiration to stay the course and work harder, especially now that the official campaign period is about to commence. I am ready to serve and work to bring the change that the Filipinos deserve,” she added.
Poe skidded to second place in the December survey after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) ruled in favor of the petition to disqualify her on the ground of being a foundling and has not met residency requirement.
The camp of the lady senator elevated her disqualification case to the Supreme Court, seeking the dismissal of the two petitions.
Meanwhile, Poe’s running mate, Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero, remains the leader in the vice presidential race survey, improving his number from 29% in December to 33 percent in January.
Escudero kept the lead despite having no television political ads yet with two days left before the kick-off of the 90-day election campaign period.
Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. maintained the 23% percentage point to remain in second place while Roxas’ running mate Leni Robredo improved her rating from 14 to 18 percent to take third place.
Duterte’s running mate Senator Alan Peter Cayetano dropped to fourth place with 14 percent, four percent down from 18 percent in December last year.