Presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has cemented his hold on the front-runner position in the May presidential race, according to the results of the latest ABS-CBN survey conducted by Pulse Asia.
Duterte got 32 percent of 4,000 respondents to pick him as their next president, establishing a clear lead over second-placer and former opinion poll front-runner Senator Grace Poe, who got 25 percent.
The mayor’s numbers increased by two points from his previous rating of 30 percent in an earlier March 29 to April 3 poll. Poe’s number remained the same.
The survey, which has a margin of error of ±1.5 percent, showed that the tough-talking mayor was way ahead of the neophyte senator and his other rivals.
The poll was conducted from April 5 to 10—days before he uttered his controversial statement on the rape-slay of Australian lay missionary Jacqueline Hamill, which unleashed a social media firestorm.
Vice President Jejomar Binay and administration bet former Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II shared third place with 20 percent and 18 percent, respectively. Binay’s number was the same if compared to the previous poll, while Roxas suffered a one-point dip.
Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago only had 1 percent of respondents rooting for her— one point lower than the 2 percent she got in the previous survey.