IF elections were held today, in a five-cornered presidential contest, Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III will win hands down with 50 percent of the votes, according to a survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations on Sept. 5 and 6 in the vote-rich regions of the National Capital Region, Central Luzon and Calabarzon and Pangasinan province.
The survey, done after Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas II withdrew from the presidential race and before Aquino declared his presidential bid under the banner of the Liberal Party, showed Aquino getting 50 percent of the votes followed by Sen. Manuel Villar with 14 percent, former President Joseph Estrada with 13 per cent, Sen. Francis Escudero with 12 percent and Vice President Noli de Castro with 7 percent.
This is the first time that Aquino’s name figured in the survey of presidential candidates for the 2010 elections.
If the contest were minus Escudero, Aquino would get 55 percent; Villar, 17 percent; Estrada, 15 percent; and De Castro, 8 per cent. Two percent said “None” and one percent said “Don’t know.”
If it were a three-cornered fight, Aquino would get 63 percent; Villar, 21 percent; and De Castro, 9 percent. Two percent volunteered the name of Estrada. Three percent said “None” and one percent was undecided.
As to running mate to Aquino, the teamup with Roxas got the highest vote with 51 percent; Aquino-Escudero with 49 percent; Aquino-(Loren) Legarda with 46 percent; Aquino-(Francis) Pangilinan with 43 percent and Aquino-(Jinggoy) Estrada with 33 percent.
The survey was conducted among 1,200 respondents in the Luzon regions which make up 40 percent of the country’s voting population. The margin of error is three percent.
Pangasinan belongs to Region I (Ilocos Region).
The National Capital Region consists of the cities of Caloocan, Las Piñas, Makati, Malabon,Mandaluyong, Manila, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Parañaque, Pasay, Pasig, Pateros,Quezon City, San Juan, Taguig City and Valenzuela.
Central Luzon (Region III) consists San Fernando City, Angeles City, Olongapo City, Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales.
Calabarzon (Region IV-A) consists of Calamba City, Lucena City, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon and Rizal.
A low-key legislator, Aquino’s name began to be mentioned as presidential candidate after the massive outpouring of sympathy for his mother, former President Corazon Aquino, who died of cancer last Aug. 1. Aquino’s father, former Sen. Benigno Aquino, Jr., a political opponent of the late President Ferdinand Marcos, was killed on Aug. 21, 1986 upon his return from the United States.
