Duterte tops new SWS survey

MANILA - Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte wrestled the top spot of presidential race away from Senator Grace Poe, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

The poll, conducted on March 30 - April 2 and commissioned by BusinessWorld, saw 27% of the candidates picking the tough-talking mayor.

In the survey conducted after the second presidential debate in Cebu, Duterte surged four points from his 23% in the March 8 - 11 SWS survey.

Poe, meanwhile, ranked second with 23%, six percentage points down from her 29% in the previous poll.

Given the survey's margin of error of +/-3, the senator was statistically tied with Vice President Jejomar Binay who got 20%.

Binay jumped two points from the previous poll's 18%.



At third place was Liberal Party (LP) standard bearer Mar Roxas with 18%.

Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago steadied at 3%.

The BusinessWorld-commissioned survey was done using face-to-face interviews with 1,500 adults nationwide.

Speaking to dzMM, political analyst Prof. Edmund Tayao attributed the rise in Duterte's popularity to the 71-year-old mayor's performance in the March 20 #PiliPinas Debates compared to that of Poe, the ertswhile frontrunner.

"Hindi lang naman iyung mensahe ang napapansin ng mga nanonood kundi pati na rin iyung composure at personalidad ng kandidato... Si Senator Grace, halimbawa, kahit malaman ang sinasabi at alam nating preparado, e parang napikon at kumbaga, hindi na nga siya sumusunod sa rules," Tayao said.

"Siguro isa ito doon sa pinagkumparahan ng mga nanonood at nakita si Mayor Duterte na cool na cool. Mas alam niya ang ginagawa at sinasabi niya."

The University of Santo Tomas (UST) professor added that Duterte's memorable one liners during the face-off may have also appealed to voters.



MOBILE SURVEY

The popularity figures of the candidates in the face-to-face polls differed slightly from the Bilang Pilipino-SWS Mobile Survey conducted last March 30.

Duterte's rating was down four points if compared to the 31% he got in the last mobile survey.

Poe, meanwhile, was the frontrunner with a preference rating of 34 %.

in the mobile poll, Binay placed third with 20% while Roxas followed him with 17 %.

Roxas saw his number decrease by 1 percent from 19 percent in early March.

On the other hand, Santiago was flat at 3 percent.

Aside from the second presidential debate, the poll was conducted also after the Supreme Court's ruled in favor Poe's presidential bid.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

#Halalan2016: 6 things to know about Miriam Defensor Santiago

Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago is among the most interesting senators in the country with her wit, humor, and feistiness. Moreso because of a long list of awards she received. Her popularity has always been high, even being dubbed as "The Iron Lady of Asia" by Asia Magazine in 1989.

Here are some things that you should know about Miriam Defensor Santiago.

1. She always graduated with honors

From grade school to law school, Santiago has proven that she is among the smartest students in school. She graduated valedictorian in elementary and high school, and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, from the University of the Philippines. She also graduated from the UP College of Law with a Bachelor of Law degree, cum laude.

Santiago is also a holder of three honorary Doctor of Law degrees from University of San Agustin, Xavier University, Ateneo de Cagayan de Oro, and Centro Escolar University.

2. She is the first female agrarian reform secretary, and first female Commissioner of Immigration and Deportation

Santiago was the Commissioner of Immigration and Deportation from 1988 to 1989, and Secretary of Agrarian Reform from 1989 to 1990 during the administration of the late President Corazon Aquino. She is the first female to hold both positions.

In 1968, she became the editor-in-chief of the official school paper of the University of the Philippines, The Philippine Collegian, the first female to be named as such after 50 years.


3. Santiago was a beauty title holder

The feisty senator said she held a campus beauty title, not only once, but twice. She was part of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) corps sponsor while she was studying law at the University of the Philippines in Diliman.


4. Santiago loved to dance.

She also said she loved to dance when she was younger, posting a picture of her young self with her brother, Gen. Benjamin Defensor.

5. Santiago is the first Filipino to be elected as judge of the International Criminal Court.

She was elected by the States Parties to Rome Statute as judge of the International Criminal Court in 2011. She is the first Filipino, and first Southeast Asian to be elected as such.

6. She has written several books, with her law books often cited in Supreme Court cases.

As an experienced lawyer and legislator, Santiago's books on law have been used in several Supreme Court cases. She has also published several books on politics and law.

She has also recently published two books of quotes, Stupid is Forever and Stupid is Forevermore, as well as other books about herself.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Groups want Poe-Francis tandem, bares Grace

MANILA - Senator Grace Poe on Tuesday revealed that there are groups pushing for a Poe-Francis tandem in 2016.

In an interview after the 13th anniversary celebration of the the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Poe reiterated that she is more comfortable running with Senator Francis Escudero in case she eventually decides to run for president in next year's elections.

Poe also noted that running as an independent candidate with a coalition has its benefits, saying it will always be the interest of the Filipino people and not of the party that will be prioritized.

In the 2013 senatorial elections, both Poe and Escudero ran as independent candidates but under the banner of the Liberal Party (LP)-led coalition Team PNoy.

Following the recent attacks and questions on her citizenship and residency, Poe reiterated that she is qualified to run in 2016.

She pointed out that she came back to the Philippines in 2003 to campaign for her father, the late action king Fernando Poe Jr., who ran for president.

She renounced her dual citizenship in 2010.

Meanwhile, ABS-News spotted in Metro Manila several Grace Poe stickers for 2016. Many of her supporters say that Poe is honest and has genuine concern for the poor.

In her address to PDEA personnel during their anniversary celebration, the senator said out of the five requests of the leadership of the agency, one has been granted, which is to amend the three-witness rule in the Dangerous Drugs Act.

With the amended law, only two witnesses are needed for PDEA agents to operate against drug pushers.

Poe said she is still working on the hazard pay and additional reward money for informants.

PDEA Director General Arturo Cacdac, meanwhile, admitted that based on their survey, 92 percent of barangays in Metro Manila are affected by illegal drugs.

Cacdac said the fight against drugs should be a multi-sectoral approach which starts with the family.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com