Headline A very tight race

Date 09 Mar 2010 Language English

MediaTitle Business World Page No 1ofS4,2ofS4
2
Section Special Feature Article Size 1139 cm
Journalist Gerard S. dela Pena
Frequency Daily Color Full Color
ADValue 204332 PRValue 612996

Averytight race
Top presidentiables Aquino Villar in statistical tie
THE RACE TO MALACANANG has become very tight with the top two presidentiables locked in a statis
tical tie a Social Weather Stations SWS survey commissioned by BusinessWorld showed
The poll the third conducted
by the survey research institution
for this newspaper found the
senatorsfront runners —
Benigno Simeon Noynoy C
Aquino III and Manuel Manny
ground B Villar Jr — both losing
among voters with little over two
months to go before the May 10
national elections
The cost however was more
substantial for the Liberal Party s
Mr Aquino who saw his overall
score cut by a substantial six
points to 36 compared to just
a one percentage point drop to
34 for the Nacionalista Party s
Mr Villar
The gap between the two falls
within the ±2 2 margin of er
ror used in the Feb 24 28 survey
which used face to face inter
views of 2 100 registered voters
nationwide
It was the first SWS BW poll
conducted since the February 9
start of the national campaign
period
A new system was used by the
SWS instead of the respondent
responding orally after being
asked to pick from the list of can
didates approved by the Commis
sion on Elections Comelec they
— were now provided ballots
which they had to mark in private
and then deposit in a container
brought by the interviewer
All lists on the ballot were in
alphabetical order and included
nicknames as practiced by the
Comelec on election day
The question asked was Kung
angeleksyon aygaganapin ngayon
 Headline A very tight race
Date 09 Mar 2010 Language English
MediaTitle Business World Page No 1ofS4,2ofS4
2
Section Special Feature Article Size 1139 cm
Journalist Gerard S. dela Pena
Frequency Daily Color Full Color
ADValue 204332 PRValue 612996

sino angpinakamalamang ninyong
iboboto bilang Presidente Bise
Presidente at mga Senador ng
Pilipinas Narito ang listahan ng
mga kandidato Pafci shade o
itiman po ang naa angkop na oval
katabi ngpangalan ng taongpina
kamalamang ninyong iboboto If
the elections were held today
whom would you most probably
vote for as President Vice Presi
the dent and Senators of the Philip
Mr pines Here is a list of candidates
Please shade the oval beside the
name of the persons you would
Mr most likely vote for
In addition to those who de
the clined to vote did not choose or
pick more than one presidential
candidate the 4 in the unde
cided category includes a small the ring late last year
ballots proportion
of —1 6—
where the marks could not be
read by an optical scanning ma chinery could start coming into
chine larger play later this month with
Assignment of the improp local candidates scheduled to start
erly marked ballots to the voters stumping for their and allied na
apparent choices would raise the tional bets votes on March 26
national lead of Aquino over Mr Aquino s six point fall
Villar by only 0 1 the SWS according to the SWS came on
said account of drops in all four geo
The results contrast with a graphical study areas seven
Feb 21 25 Pulse Asia survey re points in the Balance of Luzon six
leased last Friday which showed in Mindanao five in the Visayas
Mr Aquino — a late entry to and three in Metro Manila
race — pulling away from Mr Villar meanwhile lost six
Villar who had long declared his percentage points in Metro Ma
ambition to be president The nila two in the Balance of Luzon
Pulse Asia tally — 36 for and one in Mindanao but picked
Arroyo versus 29 for Mr Villar up five in the Visayas to trim his
— reversed an erosion in overall slide to just one point
former s once substantial lead By area the SWS said Mr
when he first threw his hat into Aquino remained ahead in Metro
Manila the Visayas and
An analyst said political ma Mindanao while Mr Villar was in
Headline A very tight race
Date 09 Mar 2010 Language English
MediaTitle Business World Page No 1ofS4,2ofS4
2
Section Special Feature Article Size 1139 cm
Journalist Gerard S. dela Pena
Frequency Daily Color Full Color
ADValue 204332 PRValue 612996
 Headline A very tight race
Date 09 Mar 2010 Language English
MediaTitle Business World Page No 1ofS4,2ofS4
2
Section Special Feature Article Size 1139 cm
Journalist Gerard S. dela Pena
Frequency Daily Color Full Color
ADValue 204332 PRValue 612996

— front in the Balance of Luzon
points
two Their lost votes appear to have gone to the
third and fourth ranked candidates former
President Joseph Erap M Estrada of the
Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino who picked up two
points to score 15 and administration bet
Gilberto Gibo C Teodoro Jr of the Lakas
KAMPI CMD who also gained by two to 6
Mr Villar was the top pick for classes ABC
a lower 33 from 40 — and E —
down to 34
The key change from the Jan 21 24 sur
vey in class ABC was that both Villar and
Aquino lost seven points while Estrada gained
four points and Teodoro gained two points
the SWS said

While the gap between the top two and Mr Villar did not widen a three point ABC
the next two remained substantial the SWS gap with Mr Aquino but his lead over Mr
noted that support for Mr Estrada was up by Estrada was cut to 19 points from 30 previ
six points in Metro Manila three in ously
Mindanao and one in the rest of Luzon The Among the masa Mr Aquino lost seven
cor former president — ousted convicted of points while Mr Villar stayed steady the gap
points ruption and later pardoned — lost two thus narrowed to four points Mr Estrada
in the Visayas picked up a point to Mr Teodoro s two
Mr Teodoro meanwhile saw his support In class E Mr Aquino lost six points while
up by three points each in the Balance of Mr Villar lost two Mr Teodoro gained three
Luzon and Mindanao and by one in the and Mr Estrada two The class E lead thus
Visayas while dropping by only one point in shifted to Mr Villar the SWS said
Metro Manila Mr Aquino declined to answer phone calls
Vote percentages for the rest of the or reply to text messages His spokesmen were
presidentiables did not change significantly also unavailable for comment
the SWS said from the previous poll done Mr Villar was also unavailable but his
fro i Jan 21 24 Eduardo C Bro Eddie spokesman former Cavite Rep Gilbert C
Villanueva of Bangon Pilipinas picked up a Remulla said Judging from the results of the
point to 3 to stay in fifth place followed by past survey season we can safely assume that
Bagumbayan s Sen Richard Dick J Gordon at this point it s anybody s ballgame Sen
whose share stayed at 2 Manny Villar and the Nacionalista Party are
Kilusang Bagong Lipunan candidate pleased with the results and we consider our
disqualified Vetellano Dodong S Acosta — campaign to be on track with the results that
by the Commission on Elections last week for we are getting
mi not running a proper campaign — saw a Messrs Estrada and Teodoro were also not
nuscule uptick to 0 4 The same 0 1 percent available for comment
age point gain to 0 2 was enjoyed by inde Earl G Parreno political analyst at the
pendent candidate Jesus Nicanor Nick P Institute for Political and Electoral Reforms
Perlas commented Nobody is sure who will emerge
Ang Kapatiran bet John Carlos JC G De in the end
Los Reyes slipped bytle same margin to 0 1 He noted the erosion in the so called
while independent candidate Sen Ana Cory magic which had propelled Mr
Consuelo Jamby A S Madrigal saw her 0 4 Aquino to the front of the presidential race
score in January cut to just 0 1 prompting Sen Manuel Mar A Roxas to
For area scores the margins of error used slide down to the vice president slot
were ±6 for Metro Manila and ±4 for the Mr Parreno claimed that based on com
Balance of Luzon the Visayas and Mindanao mand votes which make up about 40 ofthe
By class meanwhile Mr Aquino was said total Messrs Villar and Teodoro could end
to be ahead among the masaor class D albeit up as top competitors given their machinery
Pena at a lower 38 from 45 previously while — with a report from G S dela