Vice President Sara Duterte is the clear early favourite for the presidency in 2028, with 50 per cent support in a new Pulse Asia survey, while Senator Bong Go leads the race for vice president at 31 per cent. The poll of 2,400 respondents was carried out from 17 to 24 September and released on 12 October. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
The survey was taken while Duterte’s impeachment trial was under way, and she remains the only figure who has publicly declared a run for higher office in 2028. Naga City Mayor and former vice president Leni Robredo came second on 26 per cent, 24 points behind. Senator Raffy Tulfo had 12 per cent and Senator Risa Hontiveros 3 per cent. Defence Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon each had 1 per cent, and 7 per cent named no one.
In the vice presidential race, Go was followed by Senator Robin Padilla on 19 per cent, Senator Bam Aquino on 17 per cent and former senator Grace Poe on 14 per cent. Senator Erwin Tulfo had 10 per cent and Senator Francis Pangilinan 3 per cent. Poe also topped the list of possible Senate candidates on 50.2 per cent, ahead of Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano on 46.5 per cent, Padilla on 45.9 per cent and Raffy Tulfo on 44.4 per cent. Davao City Mayor Baste Duterte and former senator Manny Pacquiao also made the leading group.
Duterte again warned of a possible “no-election” scenario in 2028, naming impeachment, Charter change and the cancellation of polls as the threats. Her ally, Senator Imee Marcos, raised the same concern and pointed to the postponement of the 2026 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections to November 2028.
The vice president also accused the administration of trying to tie her to illegal activity, from confidential funds and corruption to drugs and now Chinese money. She said the government had shifted its narrative towards China and was framing her as a national security risk, with the aim of stopping her candidacy before 2028. She argued that the government was now presenting her as a risk to businesses that trade with China. The survey results suggest that, so far, the trial and the allegations have not dented her standing with voters.
