Noynoy Aquino leads another independent opinion poll

Manila: Philippine opposition senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino, son of the country's democracy icon Corazon Aquino, topped the latest independent opinion poll for next year's presidential elections released Tuesday.

The poll by the Social Weather Stations (SWS), showed 46 per cent of 2,100 respondents preferred Aquino, standard-bearer of the small Liberal Party, for next May's national elections.

The results of the SWS poll, conducted between December 5 and 10, mirrored a survey by Pulse Asia Inc during the same week. Another poll issued on Monday showed Aquino was the choice of 45 per cent of 1,800 respondents.

Villar second

Billionaire lawmaker Manuel Villar of the Nacionalista Party and former president Joseph Estrada were in second and third place with 27 per cent and 16 per cent in the latest poll. The pro-administration candidate, former defence chief Gilberto Teodoro, had 5 per cent.

"Voting results and not poll surveys will determine the victors in next year's presidential race," Teodoro said in a statement, adding he can catch up with his rivals because his rating is steadily climbing from zero.

The nomination period for the May elections ended three weeks ago on December 1. Last week, the elections body allowed only eight of 99 who registered to run for president as official candidates.

Nearly 50 million Filipinos will select a president, a vice-president, nearly 300 lawmakers in the two houses of Congress and more than 17,500 local positions during the polls.