By Rachel Magday

 

With less than two weeks before the May 12 election, a recent survey conducted by a group of researchers and professors from a prestigious university has provided a snapshot of voter preferences in the upcoming congressional race in Nueva Vizcaya.

The survey, which was conducted from April 23 to 28 across all municipalities of the province, involved 2,000 respondents and boasts a 99% confidence level with a 1% margin of error.

The survey employed the Publicus methodology, a robust approach also used by renowned polling organizations such as Social Weather Stations (SWS) and Pulse Asia.

This method incorporates random sampling techniques to ensure a representative cross-section of the population, enhancing the accuracy and reliability of the results.

According to the survey results, Ruth Padilla of the Nacionalista Party (NP) is currently leading the race with 39.57% of the vote. Her nearest competitor, Timothy Cayton of Aksyon Demokratiko (AKSYON), trails with 26.66%. Following closely is Jose Tam-an Tomas of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (LAKAS), who has garnered 21.21% support from the respondents.

The survey also highlighted the performance of other candidates in the race. Jun Manghi secured 4.45%. General Val De Leon captured 3.50%,Jay Padilla received 2.40% of the vote of the respondents’ preferences. Notably, both abstentions and Lawrence Santa Ana each accounted for 1.10% of the survey results.

The same group of researchers conducted earlier rounds of surveys, with Ruth Padilla consistently emerging as the top choice among voters.

The first round, held from January 15-20, and the second round, from March 20-25, both confirmed her leading position.

This consistent performance underscores her strong and sustained appeal among the electorate.

Adding to her momentum, Ruth Padilla also led in the mock elections conducted by St. Mary’s University in the first week of April, where she garnered 44.64% of the vote. Her consistent lead across various surveys highlights her robust standing in the race.