Incumbent senators Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa and Christopher "Bong" Go along with actor and aspiring candidate Philip Salvador greet their supporters after filing their certificate of candidacy for the 2025 midterm elections in Manila on October 3, 2024. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

MANILA (UPDATE) — Re-electionist Sen. Bong Go maintained his spot as the most preferred Senate candidate as of end of March, Pulse Asia announced on Friday.

Bong Go, Erwin Tulfo top Senate bets in February: Pulse Asia survey

Pulse said Go garnered 61.9 percent voter preference to become the first placer in its latest pre-election survey conducted from March 23 to 29.

ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo, who had shared the top spot with Go in the last survey, slid to second place to third place with 51.1 percent voter preference. He shared the ranking with Sen. Bato dela Rosa, who got 48.7 percent.

Tulfo brothers, Go, Sotto top Senatorial bets in January: Pulse

Other probable winners in the May 2025 senatorial election include the following.

• • 4th place - Former Senate President Vicente Sotto III (44.2%)
• • 5th to 10th places - Senator Pia Cayetano (37.5%) 
• • 5th to 11th places - Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. (36.9%)
• • 5th to 11th places - Former Sen. Panfilo Lacson (36.0%)
• • 5th to 12th places - Willie Revillame (35.7%)
• • 5th to 12th places - Ben Tulfo (35.4%)
• • 5th to 12th places - Makati Mayor Abby Binay (35.3%)
• • 6th to 13th places - Senator Manuel Lapid (33.3%)
• • 8th to 16th places - Former Senator Manny Pacquiao (32.0%)
• • 11th to 17th places - Phillip Salvador (30.9%)
• • 12th to 18th places - Las Piñas City Rep. Camille Villar (29.0%)
• • 12th to 18th places - Former Sen. Bam Aquino (28.6%)
• • 12th to 18th places - SAGIP party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta (28.3%)
• 
  

Pulse Asia said the nationwide survey covered 2,400 randomly selected Filipino adults with the margin of error of ±2 percent at the national level.

PULSE ASIA EXPLAINS

In an interview with ANC's Dateline, Pulse Asia president Ronald Holmes explained some of his key observations in the latest survey.

Holmes noted that Erwin Tulfo, a former frontrunner in the surveys, continued to suffer a decline in his numbers, which peaked at around 70 percent and is now down to 51.1 percent.

"With respect to Erwin Tulfo, we've seen his numbers decline... The decline has been more than 15 percentage points, you don't want that to decline any further closer to the elections... So for him it's a question of arresting the decline in terms of the voting support," Holmes said.

Holmes said that Dela Rosa's improved ranking in the latest survey was not largely due to increased support but also because of the decline in the numbers of other candidates, particularly those allied with the administration. 

"We saw basically about 6 people in the administration slate, who are still in contention, seeing their numbers decline," he said, referring to Tulfo, Sotto, Revilla, Lapid, Pacquiao, and Villar.

Holmes said that the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte could have had an effect on why administration bets were losing support while Duterte-backed candidates Go, Dela Rosa, Salvador, and Marcoleta are now ranking higher in the surveys.

The pollster said that with just a month before the elections, candidates in contention still have a chance to make it to the Magic 12 by solidifying their base and courting the swing voters.

For more news and features on Philippine elections, visit the ABS-CBN News' Halalan 2025 page.

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