Survey: Support for Duterte in senatorial race dips

Former president Rodrigo Duterte. PHOTO BY MIKE ALQUINTO

FORMER president Rodrigo Duterte slipped into second place among contenders for the 2025 Senate race in the latest Publicus Asia survey results released on Wednesday.

In its Pahayag 2024 First Quarter Survey, conducted from March 14 to 18 among 1,500 respondents, Publicus Asia noted “intriguing shifts in voter predispositions” amid the anticipation and speculation surrounding the 2025 senatorial elections.

“Out of 54 names in the list, cardiologist Doc. Willie Ong emerges as the leading candidate for the 2025 senatorial elections, capturing 41 percent of the top-of-mind vote,” Publicus Asia said.

Duterte, father of Vice President Sara Duterte, slipped to second place with 38 percent, marking a decline from his previous 48 percent, the polling firm said.

“The decline in Duterte’s support is particularly pronounced in North-Central Luzon (NCL) and South Luzon (SL), dropping from 44 percent to 31 percent and 42 percent to 25 percent, respectively,” it added.

Behind Duterte was ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo, with 37 percent voter preference in March 2024, down from 44 percent in December 2023.

Sen. Bong Go and former senators Vicente Sotto III and Panfilo Lacson each received 32 percent of the vote.

Among the three, Go experienced a significant drop in voter preference, from 40 percent in December 2023.

Sen. Ronald de la Rosa received 28 percent, while Sen. Imee Marcos and former mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso each received 27 percent.

“However, de la Rosa’s support sees a decline in several regions, including NCR (from 28 percent to 19 percent), NCL (from 32 percent to 23 percent), and SL (from 32 percent to 20 percent),” Publicus Asia said.

“Similarly, Marcos experience[d] drops in NCL (from 41 percent to 30 percent), SL (from 31 percent to 23 percent), Visayas (from 39 percent to 26 percent), and Mindanao (from 41 percent to 25 percent),” it added.

Former vice president Leni Robredo and Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. garnered 27 percent and 26 percent, respectively.

Sen. Pia Cayetano closed the top 12 with 23 percent.

Pahayag is a CSR program of Publicus Asia Inc. It is an independent and non-commissioned national survey of 1,500 registered Filipino voters randomly sampled by PureSpectrum, a US-based panel marketplace with a multinational presence, from its national panel of more than 200,000 Filipinos. The sample-wide margin of error is +/- 3 percent.