Villar ahead in new survey
A survey conducted by an independent group has shown Nacionalista Party standard-bearer Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. leading his rivals in the presidential race.
The group, Tools and Strategy, the research arm of Campaigns & Image Group, said results of the survey shows that Villar’s acceptability rating leaves no room for loss.
In this survey, Villar is ahead by nine percentage points in contrast to his closest rival Liberal Party standard-bearer Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III. It also showed that Villar is “favored to win 3.1 in 10 Filipinos.”
The survey was commissioned by various independent groups, including US and UK-based multinational companies that have businesses in the Philippines.
The survey results showed Villar’s General Acceptability Rating (GAR) has gone up to 83 percent – representing 33 percent in presidential preference and 50 percent in governance capability.
“In previous Philippine election experience there has never been a loss for any candidate who has achieved a GAR above 80 percent,” the research firm cited.
Aquino, meanwhile, trails at second place with a GAR of 75 percent. According to the firm, the LP bet is “by no means secure in his GAR.”
“Aquino’s slide by 11 percentage points between December 2009 and March 27, 2010 had been largely attributed to widespread perception by the public about his lack of management experience and leadership capability, on the one hand, and dependence on the legacy of his parents, on the other,” cited the firm’s report.
Tools and Strategy utilized a national tracking poll that foreign observers consider as the most reliable tool in “understanding the sentiments, thoughts, and aspirations of the Filipino people as regards their choices of national and local officials.”
It tells exactly where a candidate posts gains or losses and describes the reasons for each rise or fall in preference ratings.
According to the research group, results of their survey differ from that of the Social Weather Station (SWS) and Pulse Asia which stemmed from statistical samples that are obtained in the National Capital Region (NCR) and used as a random base for nationwide analysis.
