MANILA — Two allies of Vice President Sara Duterte are locked in a tight race for the top spot in the latest Pulse Asia vice-presidential preference survey.
According to the “Ulat ng Bayan” survey conducted from September 17 to 24 with 2,400 respondents and a margin of error of ±2%, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go secured the lead with 31%. Go dominated the Visayas region with 37% and the Duterte family stronghold of Mindanao with 55%, while also narrowly capturing the National Capital Region (NCR) with 26%.
A tight contest emerged for the succeeding positions, led by Senator Robin Padilla at 19% (drawing 37% support in Mindanao) and Senator Bam Aquino at 17% (ranking as the top choice in Balance Luzon with 26%). They were followed by former Senator Grace Poe at 14% and Senator Erwin Tulfo at 10%.
Further down the poll, Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan—who ran for vice-president in the 2022 elections as the running mate of former Vice President and current Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo—garnered 3%. Former Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Nicolas Torre III received 0.3%.
Meanwhile, Padilla has previously expressed intentions to retire from politics by 2028, while Aquino and Tulfo have both denied holding any plans to run for higher office.