Latest polls show opposition facing possible shutout in Senate race

April 17, 2019

With less than month to go before voters cast their ballots in this year’s midterm elections, the race for the Senate’s 12 seats appears to indicate a possible shutout for the opposition.
Only two Liberal Party bets, reelectionist Bam Aquino and comebacking Sen. Mar Roxas, are among the 16 candidates who have a statistical chance of winning a Senate seat.
Aquino placed 12th in the SWS survey but was at 13th in the Pulse Asia poll. Roxas. on the other hand, has dropped to 16th place in both surveys.
Of the 16 frontrunners in both surveys, 10 belong to the pro-administration coalition, 2 from the Liberal Party (Aquino and Roxas), one from the NPC (Lito Lapid), one from the UNA (Nancy Binay, and 2 are independents ( Grace Poe and Serge Osmena).
Duterte loyalists are surging in both polls. Bong Go is moving from 3d and 4th while Bato dela Rosa was running strong at 7th to 8th. Two of the three former senators, Bong Revilla and Jinggoy Estrada, who were jailed for plunder during President Aquino’s time, are also in the top 12. But former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, who is out on bail like Estrada, is lagging behind the frontrunners.
Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos who has been strongly endorsed by Duterte and his daughter, Sara, has mixed results, taking 9th in the Pulse Asia survey but trailing at 14th to 15th in the SWS poll.
Likewise reelectionist Koko Pimentel, who is at 10th and 11th places in the SWS poll but placed 14th in the Pulse Asia survey.