FRONTRUNNERS NOYNOY, MAR KEEP LEAD IN LATEST SWS, MST POLLS
5 to 9-M LEAD OVER CLOSEST RIVALS SEEN IN MAY 10

Despite the fierce black propaganda campaign that attacked their character and competence, Liberal Party standard bearers Senators Benigno S. Aquino III and Mar Roxas became surer of securing victory in the May 10 national elections with pre-election voters preference surveys showing stronger voter support for them.

Aquino and Roxas again topped the surveys conducted separately by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) for the Business World and by pollster Pedro Laylo Jr. for the Manila Standard Today during the survey periods March 19-22 and March 21-23, respectively.

In the SWS survey, Aquino was the choice of 37% - or 1% higher than his February figure -- among the 2,100 respondents, a 9% lead over the 28% rating of Nacionalista presidential candidate Manuel Villar, who lost 6% from his February figure of 34%.

In the vice presidential survey, Roxas was a run-away winner with his 42% rating, which is 17% higher than perennial second-placer Loren Legarda's 25% performance.

The MST survey reflected a similar winning pattern, with Aquino beating Villar with 39% compared to the latter's 26% rating, or a 13% difference. In the vice presidential race, Roxas crushed Legarda with a 39% rating over the latter's 29% rating, or a 10% difference over the NP bet.

The rest of the presidential results of the SWS survey: Former president Joseph Estrada, 19%; former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, 6%; Sen. Richard Gordon, 3%; Bro. Eddie Villanueva, 2%; JC Delos Reyes, 0.3%; Nicanor Perlas, 0.1%; and Sen. Jamby Madrigal, 0.04%.

The SWS vice presidential race results: Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, 21%; Edu Manzano and Bayani Fernando, 3% each; Perfecto Yasay, 1%; Dominador Chipeco Jr., 0.4%; and Jay Sonza, 0.3%.

The MST survey reflected a similar ranking in the presidential and vice presidential races. In the presidential contest, Estrada was third with his 17%; Teodoro, 6%; Villanueva and Gordon, 3% each; and Perlas, De los Reyes and Madrigal, less than 1%.

In the vice presidential survey, Binay came third with 17% while Manzano and Fernando were tied at 3%.

The SWS and MST surveys indicated a possible average 10% to 13% Aquino-Roxas lead over their rivals in the May 10 presidential and vice presidential races, or a 5 to 9 million vote-leads if all of the more than 50 million registered voters would vote.