Sara Duterte maintains lead in Pulse Asia’s Sept 2026 poll

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte would emerge victorious as president if the May 2028 elections were held today, according to the Pulse Asia Ulat ng Bayan survey conducted Sept. 17-24.

Duterte maintained her lead from Pulse Asia’s last survey in July, with a percentage point increase to 50 percent of respondents who chose her as their candidate in the presidential race two years from now.

The Vice President was followed by her predecessor, Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo, still at 26 percent as in last July, and Sen. Raffy Tulfo, who dropped 2 percentage points to 12 percent.

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Others in the latest survey, which polled 2,400 respondents, are Sen. Risa Hontiveros (3 percent), Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro and Public Works Vince Dizon (both at 1 percent), and Baguio City Mayor Benjie Magalong (0.3 percent).

Around 3 percent said they did not know who to choose, while 1 percent refused, 3 percent had no choice, and 0.2 percent said they had other choices.

Support for Duterte was highest in her home region of Mindanao, wherer she further rose 5 percentage points to 92 percent, followed by the Visayas at 56 percent (a 3 percentage point increase), Metro Manila at 40 percent (1 percentage point rise), and Luzon outside Metro Manila at 28 percent (dropping 3 percentage points).

Support for Robredo was still highest in Luzon outside Metro Manila at 36 percent (a 5 percentage point increase), followed by Metro Manila at 31 percent (as in last July), the Visayas at 28 percent (1 percentage point increase), and Mindanao at 2 percent (a 6 percentage point drop).

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Support for Tulfo was highest in Luzon outside Metro Manila at 19 percent, followed by Metro Manila at 14 percent, the Visayas at 8 percent, and Mindanao at 1 percent.

Sen. Bong Go was the favored vice presidential candidate of nearly a third of Filipino adults, or 31 percent, followed by Sen. Robin Padilla at 19 percent, Sen. Bam Aquino at 17 percent, former Senator Grace Poe at 14 percent, and Sen. Erwin Tulfo at 10 percent.

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A large majority of 89 percent are interested in the 2028 elections, according to the survey, while 4 percent are disinterested and 7 percent could not say.

The survey had a margin of error of plus-or-minus 2 percent at the national level and plus-or-minus 4 percent each for Metro Manila, Luzon outside Metro Manila, the Visayas and Mindanao. /cb