Two close political allies of Vice President Sara Duterte have taken the lead in the early race for the vice presidency in 2028, according to the latest Pulse Asia pre-election survey.
The survey—conducted on June 28, July 3, and July 6—placed Senator Bong Go at the top spot with 27 percent voter preference, closely followed by Senator Robin Padilla at 21 percent.
Tied in third and fourth places were Senator Bam Aquino and former senator Grace Poe, who both gathered 14 percent support. Senator Erwin Tulfo took fifth place with 9 percent, followed by Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan with 4 percent, Senator Rodante Marcoleta at 1 percent, and MMDA General Manager and former PNP Chief Nicolas Torre III at 0.5 percent.
Regionally, Aquino emerged as the top pick for vice president among respondents in the National Capital Region (NCR). In Balance Luzon, voters’ preferences were split more evenly among Go, Padilla, Aquino, Poe, and Tulfo.
Go maintained a firm hold on the Visayas, whereas Mindanao saw a tight race between Go and Padilla. Mindanao remains a key political base for the Duterte family, where both senators secured heavy support during their previous senatorial runs in 2022 and 2025.
Earlier findings from the same polling firm revealed that Vice President Sara Duterte led the early preference survey for the 2028 presidential race, followed by former vice president and current Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo, and Senator Raffy Tulfo.