DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/ 28 April) – All the senatorial candidates endorsed by former President Rodrigo Duterte made it to the “Magic 12,” a survey by the University of Mindanao’s Institute of Popular Opinion (UM-IPO) showed.
The survey, which was conducted between April 9 to 24 and included 1,204 respondents from the city’s three congressional districts, showed reelectionist Senator Christopher “Bong” Go in the first place.
Go is a long-time trusted aide of Duterte who served as his Special Assistant to the President and who was already with Duterte when he served as Davao City mayor for several terms.
The reelectionist senator topped the UM-IPO senatorial survey with 63.54 percent of the results.
The rest of the “DuterTen” slate, or the 10 senatorial candidates supported by Duterte, ranked second to tenth.
They are mostly running under the PDP-Laban political party.
Reeelectionist Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa placed second with 61.34 percent voters’ preference, followed by lawyer and singer Jimmy Bondoc with 43.11 percent, Sagip party-list Representative Rodante Marcoleta with 42.94%, and actor Philip “Ipe” Salvador with 42.36%.
At sixth place is detained Pastor Apollo Quiboloy with 40.78 percent, followed by lawyer Jayvee Hinlo with 40.12 percent, Dr. Richard Mata with 39.95 percent, and lawyer Raul Lambino with 39.04 percent. Atty Vic Rodriguez, former legal counsel of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
, an independent candidate supported by PDP Laban, received 35.80 percent.
Before Duterte was arrested and flown to The Hague for alleged crimes against humanity in connection with his “war on drugs” last March 11, he endorsed eight PDP-Laban candidates Go, Dela Rosa, Hinlo, Bondoc, Lambino, Salvador, Marcoleta; and independent candidates Rodriguez and Quiboloy during a party proclamation rally in San Juan, Metro Manila on February 13.
Mata was included in Duterte’s slate on April 13, as affirmed by PDP Laban president, incumbent Senator Robin Padilla.
Rounding up the Magic 12 of UM-IPO’s survey are television host Willie Revillame (independent) and ACT-CIS party-list and former news presenter Erwin Tulfo, at 11th and 12th respectively.
The survey has a margin of error of plus/minus three percent and “confidence level” of 95 percent.
In a March in-campus survey conducted by the Ateneo de Davao University (Addu) under its Blue Vote initiative, Go also emerged as top senatorial choice with 55 percent preferring him.
He was followed by former senator Bam Aquino with 51 percent, dela Rosa with 42, former Commission on Audit commissioner Heidi Mendoza with 40 percent, and labor leader Luke Espiritu with 38 percent. (Ian Carl Espinosa / MindaNews)
