(UPDATE) PASIG City Mayor Vico Sotto emerged as the front-runner in Tangere’s early 2028 senatorial survey, reflecting a shift among Filipino voters toward integrity and clean governance.
The nationwide poll, conducted on Sept. 10 to 13 with 2,000 respondents, showed Sotto leading with a 67-percent voter preference, up six points from July. He ranked first in all 17 regions of the country.
Former senator Grace Poe followed in second place with 52 percent, buoyed by strong support from Metro Manila and Luzon. Sen. Raffy Tulfo, who previously held the top spot, slipped to third at 47 percent.
Statistically tied from fourth to seventh were Senators Loren Legarda, Robin Padilla, Alan Peter Cayetano and Rep. Paolo Duterte. Former Senate president Francis Escudero fell to eighth after sharp declines in Luzon.
Others in the top 15 included media personality Ben Tulfo (31 percent), Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian (24 percent), Sen. JV Ejercito (23 percent), former senator Manny Pacquiao (22 percent), former senator and Education Secretary Sonny Angara (22 percent), Rep. Chel Diokno (23 percent) and former Commission on Audit commissioner Heidi Mendoza (20 percent).
Senators Mark Villar and Jinggoy Estrada landed outside the top 15, with Estrada dropping to 26th following steep losses among Class D voters.
Tangere noted that recent Senate hearings on alleged irregularities in flood control projects were influencing voter sentiment, with eight to nine in 10 respondents saying the issue would affect their 2028 choices.
When asked about traits they wanted in candidates, half of voters cited being incorruptible, followed by compassion (45 percent) and integrity (40 percent). This marks a departure from the 2025 midterms, when voters emphasized track record, experience and education.
The survey also found majority support for leadership changes in the Senate, with 63 percent favoring Sotto to replace Escudero as Senate president and 55 percent backing Sen. Panfilo Lacson to head the Blue Ribbon Committee in place of Sen. Rodante Marcoleta.
The noncommissioned survey used stratified random sampling with a margin of error of ±2.02 percent at a 95-percent confidence level.
