CHIZ IS MOST TRUSTED VP BET

Independent candidate Sen. Francis "Chiz" Escudero, who is the top pick for vice president, is the voters' most trusted candidate in the six-way race of contenders vying for the second highest position in the land, according to latest survey results.

A survey conducted by Laylo Research Strategies from March 26-30 among 1,500 likely voters nationwide, Escudero beat all other vice-presidential aspirants in the trustworthiness category with 47 percent.

The "Gobyernong may Puso" vice-presidential bet held a commanding lead of 10 percentage points over his closest rival, Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who got 37 percent.

Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo came in third with 35 percent, followed by Sen. Allan Peter Cayetano, 27 percent; Sen. Antonio Trillanes, 21 percent; and Sen. Gringo Honasan, 19 percent.

The survey respondents came from 79 provinces and 40 highly urbanized cities, including 17 localities in the National Capital Region. The results have a margin of error of ±2.6 percent.

In the same survey, Escudero topped the voter preference survey with 28 percent. Trailing behind him are Marcos, 27 percent; Robredo, 20 percent; Cayetano, 13 percent; Trillanes, 5 percent; and Honasan, 4 percent.

Escudero emerged as the No. 1 choice of voters in South Luzon and Bicol regions at 34 percent. He was also the most preferred choice of voters in both urban and rural areas.

By gender, Escudero is the top pick of female voters with 29 percent, compared to the 24 percent obtained by Marcos and Robredo.

The survey also showed that Escudero has a solid hold on the youth vote, as 33 percent of the voters aged 18-34 prefer him to be their vice-presidential candidate.

Earlier, Escudero was also top choice for vice-president in the Bilang Pilipino-SWS Mobile Survey conducted on March 31.

The veteran lawmaker received a score of 31 percent, while his closest rival, Marcos, came in far second with 26 percent.

Escudero is running under the platform of "Gobyernong may Puso," which in anchored on rapid and inclusive growth, poverty alleviation, transparency and global competitiveness.

Since the official campaign began in February, Escudero has been the most preferred vice-presidential candidate based on all pre-election surveys conducted by independent pollsters.