Erwin Tulfo on track to win Senate seat

If the midterm election for the Senate is held today

On Dec 31, 2024

VETERAN journalist Erwin Tulfo is a sure win to become a senator if the elections were held today, according to the result of a nationwide survey conducted by Pulse Asia and released to the public last December 21.

Based on the survey conducted between November 26 to December 3 involving 2,400 respondents, Tulfo, who is running under the Lakas-CMD party, would be battling it out with former Senate President Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto (Nationalist People’s Coalition), for the top spot with a voter preference of 62.2 percent against Sotto’s 59.2 percent.

The respondents were freely allowed to choose 12 names from the list of official candidates released by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) with Erwin Tulfo apparently being consistently chosen by the respondents on top of their preferred candidates based on the question, “Kung ang eleksyon sa Mayo 2025 ay isasagawa ngayon, sinu-sino sa mga sumusunod na personalidad ang inyong iboboto bilang senador?”

Another Tulfo, Ben ‘Bitag,’ who is running as an independent, is seen to be battling the third spot against Sen. Christopher ‘Bong’ Go, with 52.7 percent voter preference against the 54.7 percent of Go.

The first page of the Pulse Asia survey on the Senate race showing journalist and ACT-CIS Rep. Erwin Tulfo on top at 62.2 percent, 3 points ahead of second placer, former Senate President Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III at 59.2 percent.

Should both Erwin and Ben make it to the Senate, they would be making history of three siblings elected to the Upper Chamber as their brother, Raffy, has also won easily during the 2022 elections.

Senator Pia Cayetano (46.5 percent), who is up for re-election, would be battling the next fifth to tenth positions with fellow re-electionist, Sen. Ramon ‘Bong’ Revilla (43.5 percent) and ‘comebacking’ senators, Manny ‘Pacman’ Pacquiao (45 percent) and Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson (44.1 percent). Also joining them in the tight group are television entertainer Willie Revillame (43.6 percent). Revillame is also running as an independent.

For the precarious seventh to fourteenth position, it would be a toss-up between Abby Binay, the current mayor of Makati City (40.1 percent), Sen. Lito Lapid (39.2 percent) and Sen. Imee Marcos, elder sister of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (37.5 percent).

The tailenders in the survey with a chance of making it to the twelfth and last position for senator are Sen. Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa (36.9 percent) and Camille Villar, daughter of former Senate President Manny Villar and sister to Sen. Mark Villar (36.5 percent).

From an original list of 183 aspirants, the COMELE has trimmed down the number to 66 official candidates who are to contest the 12 available seats in the 24-seat Upper Chamber in the midterm elections next year.