The head of pollster Pulse Asia said it was too early to conclude that Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte’s popularity has peaked.
In The PressRoom podcast posted on Oct 2 prior to the deadline of filing of candidacies, Pulse Asia President Ronald Holmes said that while Duterte remained the top pick in the September 2021 Pulse Asia survey, she was only slightly ahead of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, or by one point, given the margin of error.
“Hindi mo masasabing nag-peak na kasi normally, ang baseline would be yung unang survey naisasagawa pagkatapos naming malaman kung sino talaga ang tatakbo,” Holmes said.
“Kasi nakikita mo ‘yun doon sa distribution ng boto niya sa iba’t-ibang mga lugar at iba’t ibang socioeconomic classes” he added.
Only after getting the final list of candidates for the elections can pollsters more accurately gauge candidates’ support, he said.
The next Pulse Asia survey will be on before Christmas when candidates can no longer withdraw via substitution, Holmes said. –Joshua Tristan Montecillo