Vice President Jejomar Binay (L), Sen. Grace Poe (M), and former Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II (R). (File photo)

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Sen. Grace Poe remains the top presidential choice for Filipinos, the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) poll revealed on Monday (September 21).

The poll, which asked Filipinos who they think would be the three best leaders to succeed President Benigno Aquino III in 2016, also named former Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II and Vice President Jejomar Binay, as the second and third choices, respectively.

Poe’s numbers continued to rise, garnering 47 percent in the latest SWS survey conducted from September 2 to 5. She was also the favored choice in the previous quarter with 42 percent.

Commenting on the latest poll result, Poe said that the growing support she’s getting from the people affirmed that she started on the right track with her agenda for transparency, efficiency, and honesty.

She also thanked the people for the support and trust in her.

“I am again humbled that our kababayans continue to appreciate our hard work and the brand of governance that we are upholding and pushing,” Poe said.

Last week, she officially announced that she was joining the presidential race.

But she wasn’t the only one who enjoyed improved ratings. Roxas also saw a jump of 18 points — from 21 percent in Q2 to 39 percent in Q3 — in his ranking, overtaking Binay as the second choice.

Binay’s performance improved by one point this quarter at 35 percent, although, it’s still lower compared to his 37 percent during 2014’s Q4 and the 36 percent during Q1 this year, when he topped the SWS surveys.

‘Wake-up call’

Even with his ranking moving down a notch, Binay’s camp on Monday said that this would not affect “the desire of the vice president to continue his pro-poor programs and to fight for inclusive growth for all Filipinos.”

Binay’s spokesman for political affairs, Rico Quicho, added that the survey was “a choice of three names that the respondents think are best to succeed President Aquino and not a specific question of who will they vote for if elections are conducted now.”

Quicho attributed the improved performance of Roxas to the latter’s “heavy advertising” and added that the vice president’s supporters “remain growing and solid.”

However, Presidential Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a text message to the media that the rise in Roxas’s numbers was a reflection of the people’s trust in him after he was endorsed by the president last July 31 as the Liberal Party (LP) standard bearer.

Despite having reservations about how the SWS poll phrased its question, Binay admitted that the latest survey results were a wake-up call.

He expressed that he would work harder and will go around the country more frequently.

Other leaders cited in the survey were Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who placed fourth at 16 percent, Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. at sixth place with 5 percent, Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada at seventh place with 3 percent, and Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago at eighth place with 2 percent, among others.

Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, who teamed up with Poe as her vice president, placed fifth in the poll at 6 percent.

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