BONGBONG MARCOS TAKES SOLO LEAD IN SWS SURVEY

A day after dominating the Commission on Elections-sponsored vice presidential debate at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos Jr. maintained his lead over his rivals, securing the solo top spot in the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

In the First Quarter 2016 SWS Survey conducted last March 30 to April 2 using face-to-face interviews with 1,500 respondents nationwide, Marcos took solo lead with 26 percent over his closest rival Senator Francis Escudero who dropped to 21 percent from his previous 28 percent in a survey conducted from March 8 to 11.

He was followed by Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo who had 19 percent also dropping 3 points from 22 points. In fourth place was Senator Allan Peter Cayetano with 13 percent. Tied for fifth place were Senators Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan and Antonio Trillanes IV with 5 percent each.

The survey had a margin of error of ±3 points.

Two other separate surveys also showed Marcos gaining momentum. The Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC)-DZRH Third Wave Survey Result on April 2, 2016 showed Marcos surging to 29.8 percent taking the solo lead from his rivals.

Marcos also took the lead in the latest Pulso ng Pilipino non-commissioned polls conducted by Issues and Advocacy Center showing him cornering 27 percent vote share, 3 percent higher than his closest rival, Escudero.

The senator also dominated the VP debates held Sunday night at the UST as an online poll conducted by GMA News via its official Facebook page showed him getting the approval of 51 percent of 40,158 respondents as of 11:47 p.m. Sunday as the candidate who was able to adequately answer all questions thrown at him during the 3-hour discussion.

Following Marcos in the poll was Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano with 30 percent and Robredo with 12 percent.

Escudero got 4 percent, Honasan 2 percent and Trillanes 1 percent.

Marcos expressed hope that he was able to bring his message and platform during the VP debates. "Sana naiparating ko ng klaro ang ating mensahe at plataporma sa ating mga kababayan upang mas lalo nilang maunawaan ang ating mga balakin upang bigyan sila ng mas maganda at progresibong bukas," he said in an interview after the debate.