(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The son of former president Corazon Aquino has become the clear presidential frontrunner in the Philippines, according to a poll by Pulse Asia. 44 per cent of respondents would vote for Benigno Aquino III in the 2010 election.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The son of former president Corazon Aquino has become the clear presidential frontrunner in the Philippines, according to a poll by Pulse Asia. 44 per cent of respondents would vote for Benigno Aquino III in the 2010 election.
Senator Manuel Villar is a distant second with 19 per cent, followed by Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) lawmaker Francis Escudero with 13 per cent, and former president Joseph Estrada with 11 per cent. Support is lower for current secretary of national defence Gilberto Teodoro, current secretary of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Bayani Fernando, and religious and political leader Eddie Villanueva.
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo took over as president in January 2001, following Estrada’s resignation. Arroyo won a six-year term in the June 2004 presidential election, garnering 39.99 per cent of all cast ballots. De Castro—running as Arroyo’s running mate, but not as part of a single ticket—received 49.79 per cent of all cast ballots in the vice-presidential election, defeating Loren Legarda.
In May 2007, voters in the Philippines renewed the House of Representatives and one-half of the Senate. Final results gave seven of the 12 upper house seats at stake to GO candidates, followed by the pro-government Team Unity (TU) with three, and two independents.
In 1986, Corazon Aquino—the widow of murdered opposition leader Benigno Aquino—took over as president when long-time dictator Ferdinand Marcos was forced to flee to Hawaii. Aquino accused Marcos of stealing a presidential election, and led a series of massive demonstrations that came to be known as "People Power" in order to topple the regime. Aquino ended her presidency on a high note and remained an extremely popular figure in the country, until her death on Aug. 1.
Aquino’s death ignited a sudden interest in her son, also know as "Noynoy Aquino", becoming a presidential candidate. A grass-roots movement urging Aquino III to run forced the senator to consider a bid, which has now become practically official. He will run as a candidate of the Liberal Party.
On Nov. 24, Escudero became the latest in a series of political personalities to throw their support behind Aquino III, saying that he will not run for president in the next election. Escudero declared: "I cannot deny that I weighed in the fact that Noynoy is my best friend. If the call of the times shows this is for him, it is not for a true friend to steal or partake of it."
The next election is tentatively scheduled for June 2010. Arroyo is ineligible for a consecutive term in office.
Polling Data
Of the people in this list, for whom would you vote for as president of the Philippines if the elections of 2010 were held today and they were presidential candidates?
|
|
Oct. 2009
|
Aug. 2009
|
May 2009
|
|
Benigno Aquino III
|
44%
|
n.a.
|
n.a.
|
|
Manuel Villar
|
19%
|
25%
|
14%
|
|
Francis Escudero
|
13%
|
12%
|
17%
|
|
Joseph Estrada
|
11%
|
19%
|
15%
|
|
Noli de Castro
|
4%
|
16%
|
18%
|
|
Gilbert Teodoro
|
2%
|
–
|
–
|
|
Bayani Fernando
|
1%
|
–
|
–
|
|
Eddie Villanueva
|
1%
|
–
|
–
|
|
Other
|
1%
|
8%
|
13%
|
|
Mar Roxas
|
n.a.
|
11%
|
13%
|
|
Loren Legarda
|
n.a.
|
6%
|
7%
|
|
Jejomar Binay
|
n.a.
|
4%
|
4%
|
Source: Pulse Asia
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 1,200 Filipino adults, conducted from Oct. 22 to Oct. 30, 2009. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
