Sorsogon Governor Chiz Escudero is one of the top senatorial candidates preferred in the latest opinion polls conducted by research group OCTA ahead of the May 9 National Elections.
If elections were held during the survey period from March 5 to 10, 63% of the respondents said they would vote for Escudero, a veteran lawmaker who served the Senate for two consecutive terms, according to OCTA Research’s latest nationwide polls called “Tugon ng Masa”.
Escudero, the only incumbent governor who is gunning for a Senate seat, is ranked from 1 to 5 in the OCTA Research Senatorial Preference survey, which polled 1,200 samples and has a margin of error of +/-3%.
He has been a consistent favorite among respondents as indicated by surveys conducted by various independent pollsters and research firms.
Escudero has remained the No. 1 choice for senator in the Publicus Asia survey.
Escudero has remained the No. 1 choice for senator in the Publicus Asia survey conducted from March 9-14, with almost 50 percent of the respondents giving him their vote of approval.
He was also the No. 1 choice for senator among respondents in the survey conducted by the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP), which is composed of more than 1,525 member schools.
Even in mock elections in universities, Escudero ranked high among students.
He emerged as the number one choice for senator among respondents in the survey conducted by the Philippine Normal University- Mindanao Campus, garnering 59.46 percent of the total respondents.
In “Likha Pahinarya: Mock Elections Survey 2022,” which was conducted from March 12 to 25 and organized by the Likha Pahinarya, the official student publication of Cagayan State University’s College of Allied Health Sciences in Tuguegarao City, Escudero was among the top picks for senator after almost 60% of the respondents in an online survey said they would vote for him.
A former senator for 12 years, he said he would focus on giving more autonomy to local government units, ensure the judicious and wise utilization of the annual budget, and help transition the pandemic-weary economy to recovery, among others, if elected again.
“Escudero will play a big role in crafting key pieces of legislation and reforms at a time when the country is besieged with challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
President Rodrigo Duterte has endorsed Escudero’s senatorial bid, saying the governor will play a big role in crafting key pieces of legislation and reforms at a time when the country is besieged with challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Duterte’s daughter, Davao City Mayor and vice-presidential candidate Sara Duterte-Carpio is personally backing Escudero’s Senate comeback bid.
The tandems of Senator Ping Lacson and Senate President Tito Sotto; Vice President Leni Robredo and Senator Kiko Pangilinan; and Senator Manny Pacquiao and Rep. Lito Atienza have adopted Escudero in their senatorial slates.
He is also endorsed by several party-list groups, including Ang Probinsyano, Ang Kabuhayan, Agimat, An Waray, ARISE, BHW, BTS, Kusog Bikolano, and KAPUSO-PM.
Mayors from CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) and Eastern Samar, who belong to the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP), are likewise backing Escudero’s Senate return.
The 200,000-strong Federation of Free Farmers (FFF), one of the biggest non-government organizations in the country, has committed to campaign for Escudero.
