ONCE considered a shoo-in for reelection, Senator Imee Marcos now ranks 16th, her lowest placement in surveys commissioned by the Stratbase group since December.
In the most recent survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations from March 15 to 20, Marcos garnered 19 percent —down from 24 percent in February and a significant drop from 28 percent in January.
Back in December, despite receiving the backing of just 21 percent, Marcos still managed to hover around the 12th to 14th spots.
However, her recent fall behind former senators Francis Pangilinan and Bam Aquino, who obtained 24 percent and 21 percent support, respectively, marks a clear blow to her reelection bid.
The March survey is the first released since Duterte’s March 11 arrest on orders from the International Criminal Court (ICC)—an event that appears to have further eroded Marcos’ support, despite her unwavering defense of the former president.
Meanwhile, Senator Bong Go, a close ally of Duterte, surged to the top spot, tying with ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo, with both securing 42 percent of respondents’ support.