Erwin Tulfo tops poll for senator

MORE than a third of Filipinos would vote for Party-List Rep. Erwin T. Tulfo to the Senate if the 2025 senatorial elections were to be held today, the latest nationwide poll conducted by OCTA Research Group showed.

Mr. Tulfo, who is the brother of Senator Rafael T. Tulfo, got 76% in OCTA’s Dec. 10-14 poll, which interviewed 1,200 adults, OCTA Research Group fellow Fredegusto “Guido” P. David said in an X post on Tuesday.

The poll rounded off the top six possible contenders for the 12 available Senate seats in 2025, with Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” T. Go (55%), former Senate president Vicente C. Sotto III (48%), Sen. Ronald “Bato” M. dela Rosa (47%), Sen. Maria Imelda “Imee” R. Marcos (42%), and Ramon “Bong” B. Revilla, Jr. (35%). 

Making it to the magic 12 of the poll were Sen. Francis N. Tolentino (33%), former Manila mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso (32%), former senator Panfilo Lacson (32%), Sen. Pilar Juliana “Pia” Cayetano (30%), former senator Emmanuel “Manny” D. Pacquiao (28%), former vice president Jejomar C. Binay (25%), and Sen. Manuel “Lito” Lapid (20%).

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. had earlier appointed Mr. Tulfo as Social Welfare Secretary, only to have his appointment bypassed by the Commission on Appointments six months later over his United States citizenship and a libel conviction during his time as a journalist.

Mr. Tulfo was able to earn a seat in the House of Representatives as Anti-Crime and Terrorism Community Involvement and Support (ACT-CIS) Rep., substituting former Rep. Jeffrey who resigned in Feb. last year. ACT-CIS won three congressional seats in May 2022.

Jocelyn P. Tulfo, who is the wife of Senator P. Tulfo, currently serves as an ACT-CIS Party-List rep., The senator’s son, Rep. Ralph Wendell P. Tulfo is the representative of the second district of Quezon City.

Mr. Raffy came in third in the May 2022 senate race with 23.4 million votes as he trailed Senator Lorna Regina “Loren” B. Legarda with 24.3 million votes and Senator and action star Robinhood “Robin” C. Padilla, who topped the race with 26.6 million.

Only 17% of the respondents said they would vote for former Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo if she were to run in the May senatorial elections next year.

Mr. Marcos won a landslide victory in the presidential race with more than 31 million votes, way ahead of Ms. Robredo’s 14.82 million. — John Victor D. Ordoñez