Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) – In a survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) – and commissioned and first published by Business World – numbers showed that Filipinos prefer United Nationalist Alliance’s (UNA) Jejomar Binay over Liberal Party’s Manuel “Mar” Roxas II as the country’s next president.
Independent presidential aspirant Sen. Grace Poe still topped the poll, which was conducted from September 2 to 5 among 1,200 respondents nationwide.
According to the results, 24 percent of the respondents chose Binay in the survey. That’s 4 percentage points higher than the 20 percent who chose Roxas. Poe, who rated with 26 percent, also had a slimmer lead over Binay.
SWS earlier released a report from the same survey showing Roxas outscoring Binay and not the other way around.
Also read: Poe still leads poll, Roxas overtakes Binay – SWS
In the same survey, different questions were asked and different results were garnered as well. The results showed conflicting rankings of Roxas and Binay based on the questions asked.
In the poll results from one question where Roxas has overtaken Binay, the agency asked respondents their top three choices for president.
In the second report, where Binay remained second next to Poe, respondents could only name one choice as the country’s next president.
Which is more reliable?
Asked which of the two survey results will have to be referred to for possible preference on who the next president will be, SWS survey data library director Leo Laroza told CNN Philippines, the results from the second report “will have to be the one closer to that scenario.”
Laroza said in an interview on Wednesday (September 22), when it comes to appreciating the data, “if people will consider the two reports, the second report would have to be it.”
“It’s a very tough call for the top presidential candidates,” he said, while adding the second report also gives the clearer ranking.
Also read: Political analysts question +18 surge of Roxas in SWS poll
The vice president’s camp said this new survey results will inspire him to even work harder and not to be over confident.
Binay also vowed to reach as many voters as possible in his campaign for next year’s elections.
“Hard work. Harder than my opponents. I’ll have to reach as many voters as possible,” Binay said.
He also said that he will treat the campaign as an “uphill battle.”
