MANILA – According to a political analyst, Actor Robin Padilla leading the senatorial race this year came as a surprise.
OCTA Research fellow Ranjit Rye stated during the “Hatol ng Bayan 2022” program aired on state-run PTV-4 that they could not exactly explain why Padilla managed to be the top choice among senatorial candidates.
“Mahirap. Pinag-aaralan din namin kasi sa aming survey, hindi ho siya ang lumabas na (It’s difficult to say. We are still studying because based on our pre-election surveys, he did not emerge as) number one but he was on the top 10,” said Rye, a political science professor at the University of the Philippines.
Based on the partial and unofficial count of votes issued by the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), Padilla continued to lead the senatorial race.
The data from PPCRV showed that Padilla garnered 26,385,249 votes as of 8:17 p.m. on Tuesday.
Padilla was followed by House Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda, who is eyeing a return to the Senate, with 23,939,235 votes, and broadcaster Raffy Tulfo, with 23,123,060 votes.
Rye acknowledged that OCTA Research is expecting either Legarda or Tulfo to be the top pick in the senatorial race.
He stated that various reasons, including Padilla’s fame and President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s “strong” support, have helped the actor lead the senatorial race.
“I believe maraming (there are many) factors contributed to his win. He was very strongly supported by the administration, by the President. He was also strongly supported by other candidates,” Rye said. “He’s also an actor. He’s very popular.”
As a Muslim, Rye added, Padilla is “very well-respected in his community”.
He also stated that Padilla’s message to the public “clearly resonates with a lot of people”.
“That is also added to his votes. So, there are many reasons why Robin Padilla shot up to number one,” he said.
