SENATOR Manuel Roxas II has widened his lead over his closest rival for the vice presidency, Senator Loren Legarda, the latest Manila Standard Today poll shows.

The nationwide survey of 2,500 registered voters, conducted Jan. 20 to 27, showed Roxas with 43 percent of the vote against 29 percent for Legarda.

Legarda’s share shrank by eight percentage points from 37 percent in December 2009, said Pedro Laylo Jr., Standard Today’s resident pollster.

Legarda’s losses were greatest in Luzon and the Bicol region. Demographically, she also lost votes from voters aged 25 to 34.

Roxas posted gains in Cagayan Valley and Central Mindanao and enjoyed strong support from voters aged 18 to 34.

Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay garnered 14 percent nationwide, one point up from December. Former Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Bayani Fernando obtained 3 percent, also one point up from the last poll.

Administration bet Edu Manzano maintained his 3 percent share.

The poll, involving face-to-face interviews with the respondents, has a margin of error of 2 percent.

Reacting to the poll results, the Liberal Party on Tuesday played down the narrowing lead of its standard bearer, Senator Benigno Aquino III, over his Nacionalista Party rival, Senator Manuel Villar Jr.

The January poll showed Aquino at 36 percent against Villar at 34 percent. With a margin of error of 2 percent, the two leaders were considered to be in a “statistical tie.”

Liberal Party campaign manager Florencio Abad attributed the surge in Villar’s standing to an aggressive advertising campaign that put out seven commercials to each one from the Aquino camp.

Abad also said that the full impact of the C-5 corruption scandal hounding Villar had yet to be reflected in the surveys.

Roxas said Aquino would step up his political advertising too as soon as the campaign period started. Christine F. Herrera

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(Published in the Manila Standard Today newspaper on 2010/february/3.)