Balayan, Batangas (CNN Philippines) — Liberal Party vice presidential candidate Leni Robredo credits her almost daily sorties around the country for her continued rise in surveys.
“Palagay ko dahil mas marami na yung nakaka-kilala sa akin. Nung nagumpisa ako halos wala talaga. Yung awareness rating ko nun parang 50%, ngayon I’m at 90 already. Pinaka-susi I think is to cover as much ground as possible,” Robredo, who on occasions campaigns separately from Roxas, said Wednesday (March 16) in Batangas.
[Translation: “I think it is because a lot of people know me now. When I started, it was almost none. My awareness rating back then I think was at 50%, now I’m at 90 already. I think the key is to cover as much ground as possible.”]
Robredo plans to continue going around the country to deliver her pitch personally to voters, even if it means campaigning separately from Roxas.
“Yung pinakaplano namin from the start, may times na magkasama kami, may times na hindi. Kasi kung magkasama kami all the time, hindi namin mauubos ang Pilipinas,” Robredo explained.
[Translation: “That was our original plan, there will be times that we will be together, while sometimes we won’t be together. Because if we will be together all the time, we can’t cover the entire Philippines.”]
Robredo is the biggest gainer in the March 1-6 Pulse Asia survey that showed her climb three percentage points from the previous survey conducted last February.
The latest survey was commissioned by a television network.
Robredo inched closer to her rivals after receiving 21 percent of the votes.
Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero and Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos are still statistically tied for the top spot with voter preference of 25 percent and 22 percent, respectively.
“Pag iniisip ko kung saan ako nagsimula when i was one percent yung frontrunner was 43 percent, tapos ngayon I’m just four points behind. Syempre masayang masaya,” Robredo said.
[Translation: “When I think of it, I started at 1 percent while the frontrunner was 43%, now I am only four points behind. Of course I am very happy.”]
The survey, using face-to-face interviews with 2,600 registered voters with biometrics, asked: “If the coming 2016 election were held today, whom would you vote for as VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES?”
Marcos’ preference rating dropped by four percent, while Escudero dropped by one percent from the previous poll.
Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano got 14 percent in the survey, followed by Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV with six percent and Sen. Gringo Honasan with five percent.
CNN Philippines, in partnership with Business Mirror, will host the vice presidential debate of the Commission on Elections’ PiliPinas 2016 debate series on April 10 at University of Santo Tomas in Manila.
