LP: Next SWS, Pulse Asia polls to set tone for 2010 campaign

The Liberal Party (LP) is waiting for the December surveys of Social Weather Stations and Pulse Asia, saying their results would set the tone for next year’s campaign. This, as Quezon Rep. Lorenzo Tañada, the spokesman for LP, virtually shrugged off a recent survey by a public relations firm showing a close match between their standard bearer, Sen. Benigno Simeon “Noynoy" Aquino III, and Nacionalista Party’s Sen. Manny Villar. "We respect the results, and that Noynoy and [Sen. Manuel Roxas II] will just have to continue to work hard not to lose the trust of the people," Tañada said Tuesday. Tañada added that "the survey results of SWS and Pulse Asia for December will set the tone for the campaign next year." A survey by the Issues and Advocacy Center - or simply called The Center - showed Aquino leading other presidential contenders with 31 percent of the 1,200 respondents preferring him over the other candidates. The rating, however, is significantly lower compared to Aquino's previous showings in SWS and Pulse Asia of around 50 percent. The Center director Ed Malay attributed Aquino's lower ratings to the diminishing impact of the death of his mother, former president Corazon Aquino, who passed away August 1 after a long battle with colon cancer. Popular sentiment for the former president had given rise to widespread support for Aquino's candidacy. Villar, who got 24 percent in The Center’s survey, said he was pleased by the survey results but added that he is expecting the political climate to change further in the coming months. "Mahaba pa yan, marami pang mangyayari (We still have a long way to go, many things will happen)," said Villar at a press conference announcing the entry of militant lawmakers Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza into his party's senatorial slate. "Basta kami ay naka-focus lang sa Mayo at sa aming adhikain (For our part, we're just focused on the May elections and on our advocacies)," he added. Roxas topped the vice presidential survey of The Center with 28 percent, while Villar's partner, Sen. Loren Legarda, was not far behind with 25 percent. The survey by The Center, conducted from December 2 to 6, was the first done after the filing of the certificates of candidacy from November 20 to December 1. - KBK, GMANews.TV