Antique Representative Loren Legarda placed first on OCTA Research Group's senatorial preference survey for the May elections.
According to the Tugon ng Masa (TNM) survey, 100% of the respondents are aware of Legarda, with 66% of them voting for her.
Broadcaster Raffy Tulfo placed second, with 63% of the votes, followed by Taguig-Pateros Representative Alan Peter-Cayetano with 61%.
Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri placed fourth with 60%, followed by Sorsogon Governor Chiz Escudero with 59%, and then Mark Villar with 56%.
Actor Robin Padilla also made it to the list at seventh place with 43%, followed by Senator Win Gatchalian and former Vice-President Jejomar Binay with 39% each.
Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros placed 10th at 38%, followed by former Senator Jinggoy Estrada at at 37%, with his half-brother former Senator JV Ejercito rounding the top 12 with 35%.
Returning candidates and re-electionists composed the majority of the top 12.
Legarda, Cayetano, Escudero, Estrada, and Ejercito are all gunning for a Senate comeback after serving as senators in the past.
Zubiri, Gatchalian, and Hontiveros, on the other hand, are eyeing re-elections this May.
Villar and Binay both held government positions before, but this will be their first for a Senate post. Tulfo and Padilla, meanwhile, mark their first election run for a government position.
Other candidates who made it to OCTA's top 12 include:
13. Senator Joel Villanueva (33%)
14. Former Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista (31%)
15. Former Senator Gringo Honasan (29%)
16. Senator Dick Gordon (25%)
17. Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV (21%)
18. Former Philippine National Police chief Guillermo Eleazar (20%)
19. Former Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro (16%)
20. Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque (15%)
OCTA fellow Guido David said the TNM survey was carried out among 1,200 respondents nationwide from February 12 to 17.
The survey, which is non-commissioned and has a three percent margin of error, asked the respondents to select up to 12 candidates who they will vote for senator.
