By PR | 08:41 PM March 18, 2025
Former senator Francis Pangilinan outstripped former senator Paolo Benigno Aquino for the lead in the fourth leg of the national senatorial preference survey of the Centre for Student Initiatives (CSI) , an independent, youth-led national online poll.
Pangilinan prevailed with 59.42% of the votes among voters aged 18 to 25 for the 2025 midterm national elections. He was closely followed by erstwhile survey topnotcher Aquino with 58.17%. Pangilinan topped the maiden survey of CSI in October last year only to relinquish it to Aquino in the second and third leg of the online poll.
Outspoken labor leader Luke Espiritu clinched third spot with 50.67%, edging out Rep. Arlene Brosas of Makabayan bloc who finished fourth with 47.17%. Makati Mayor Abigail Binay slid to 5th spot after holding on to the fourth spot for two consecutive surveys, with 44.33%. Retaining sixth spot is former presidential aspirant Ka Leody de Guzman who garnered 40.50% of the vote.
Completing the “Magic 12” are former Audit commissioner Heidi Mendoza with 39.75%, former presidential candidate Ping Lacson with 29.33%, ACT Teachers partylist representative France Castro with 28.92%, former Local government secretary Benjamin Abalos with 26.92%, former Bayan Muna partylist representative Teodoro Casiño with 25.75% and ACT-CIS partylist representative Erwin Tulfo with 24%.
Senate aspirants within an earshot of the winning circle were senators Pia Cayetano, Bong Go, former senator Vicente Sotto III, Magsaysay awardee Roberto Ballon, labor lawyer Sonny Matula and radio celebrity Ben Tulfo who finished 13th to 18th respectively.
The online poll was held from February 25 to March 11 with 1,200 respondents from partner campus organizations from Cagayan province up north to as far south as Lanao del Norte.
CSI is an independent, youth-led, student-directed research institution for development solutions in education and youth participation in governance.
