Poe, who shot to number one in June, has positioned herself as an alternative candidate to more traditional politicians like Roxas and Binay.

Polling 1,200 people nationwide, the SWS asked respondents to pick one president from a list approved by BusinessWorld, which first published the survey today.

This was different from the question used by SWS in another survey conducted during the same period, in which it asked the respondents to write its top three choices for President.

The survey, conducted last September 2 to 5 or less than a week after Roxas was endorsed by President Benigno Aquino III, showed that preference for Roxas jumped to 39 percent, from only 21 percent in June.

Former Senator Panfilo Lacson, Senator Alan Cayetano, and Senator Loren Legarda were picked by less than 1% of respondents. (4%), Senator Francis Joseph “Chiz” Escudero (4%), former president and Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada (3%), Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago (2%), former Senator Manuel Villar Jr.

In the poll released first, where Roxas has overtaken Binay, the agency asked respondents their top three choices for president.

Erice predicted that Roxas would lead the surveys by December, after the filing of candidacy of those who would run next year.

The others in the list obtained single digit scores: Mr. Duterte (9%), Mr. Marcos (7%), Mr. Estrada (7%), Mr. Cayetano (5%), Ms. Legarda (5%), Batangas Governor Vilma Santos-Recto (4%), Senator Antonio F. Trillanes IV (4%), Mr. Lacson (3%), Camarines Rep. Maria Leonor “Leni” Gerona-Robredo (3%), Senator Jose “Jinggoy” E. Estrada (2%), and former Manila mayor and now Buhay Party-list Rep. Jose “Lito” L. Atienza, Jr. “With the top three candidates now in a statistical tie, we are confident that the gains of Daang Matuwid under PNoy and the excellent and unblemished record of Sec Mar in his long years of public service give him the advantage moving forward”.

He added that if LP choses her to be Mr. Roxas’ running mate, the party needs to “make her a real, viable vice-presidential figure”.

The senator noted that a tandem of Binay and Sen.

Both Binay and Roxas have yet to announce their running mates. Honasan and Marcos are being considered as the UNA’s vice-presidential bet.

Honasan, one of the military officers instrumental in triggering the EDSA People Power that led to the hasty departure from Malacañang of Marcos’ father, said he is not pushing for the Binay-Marcos tandem “but I would probably support team being a member of UNA”.

Honasan said “Bi-Hon” (Binay-Honasan) would not get attention from the voters.