Villar, Aquino top surveys

Source: Manila Bulletin
Nacionalista Party (NP) presidential candidate Sen. Manny Villar and Liberal Party (LP) standard-bearer Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III topped separate presidential surveys, it was learned Tuesday.

Villar, a University of the Philippines alumnus, bested his rivals in the third and final tranche of mock elections conducted among UP Diliman campus students last March 2 to 16.

The survey was conducted among 8,468 students or almost 38 percent (22,597 students) of the total student population of UP Diliman. Of those who participated, 5,893 students were registered voters.

Alpha Sigma Fraternity, the organizer of the Boto ng Iskolar ng

Bayan survey, asked the students, “If the elections were held today, who would you vote for President and Vice President?”

The respondents were, also, asked to indicate if they were registered voters or not.

Villar, a graduate of UP College of Business Administration, defeated his contenders with 2,866 votes or 33.8 percent of the total population, followed by Aquino with 1,787 votes or 21.1 percent of the respondents.

Senator Richard Gordon of the Bagumbayan Party came in third with 1,317 votes (15.5 percent). Former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD placed fourth with 646 votes or 7.6 percent of the total votes. He topped the second mock elections conducted by Alpha Sigma Fraternity last December.

Other candidates in the list were independent bet Sen. Jamby Madrigal with 47 votes, former President Joseph Estrada of the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino with 44 votes, Olongapo City Councilor JC delos Reyes of the Ang Kapatiran Party with 24 votes, Bro. Eddie Villanueva (Bangon Pilipinas) with 14 votes, and independent candidate Nicanor Perlas with six votes.

There were 221 students who abstained from the survey.

On the vice presidential race, Senator Manuel Roxas II (LP) placed first with 2,918 votes or 34.46 percent of the respondents.

He is followed by former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Bayani Fernando (Bagumbayan) with 1,262 votes (14.90 percent).

Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay (PMP) came in third with 907 votes or 10.71 percent of the total participants, followed by Senator Loren Legarda (Nationalist People’s Coalition) with 673 or 7.95 percent of the votes.

Lakas-Kampi-CMD bet Edu Manzano placed fifth with 148 votes, former Securities and Exchange Commission chief Perfecto Yasay Jr. was at sixth place with 107 votes, broadcaster Jay Sonza (Kilusang Bagong Lipunan) was at seventh place with 66 votes, and lawyer Dominador Chipeco came in last with 27 votes.

Among the registered voters, Villar still topped the survey with 2,451 votes or 28.94 percent of the respondents, followed by Aquino with 1,611 votes or 19.02 percent.

On the vice presidential survey, Roxas still emerged as the top bet with 2,550 votes or 30.11 percent of the total participants, followed by Fernando with 922 votes or 11.71 percent of the respondents.

In another survey conducted by 7-11 chain of convenience stores, Aquino was on top of the pack.

Aquino was selected as the nation’s next president by 87,959 people “voting” in 450 stores all throughout the country.

Teodoro was second with 37,226 votes, followed by Villar, 32,727 votes; Gordon, 26,010 votes; and Estrada, 14,968 votes. A total of 14,944 people opted to not have a candidate.

Jose Victor Paterno, president and chief executive officer of Philippine Seven Corporation, the licensee of 7-Eleven stores in the country, said the survey has “the potential to provide a pulse on the upcoming national elections.”