Manila: Senator Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" C. Aquino III, presidential candidate of the Liberal Party (LP), led in two pre-election surveys, with former Senate president Manuel Villar of the Nationalist Party (NP) emerging as his closest rival.

Aquino received 39 per cent while Villar got 26 per cent in a survey done by the broadsheet daily Manila Standard Today. The survey done from March 21 to 23 had 2,500 respondents.

In a previous survey conducted by the newspaper from February 20 to 26, Aquino rated 34 per cent, while Villar was 32 per cent.

"Support for Villar is in the downtrend in urban areas. He lost seven points in the National Capital Rergion (NCR). In contrast, Aquino got eight more points from NCR," said Standard Today's resident pollster Pedro Laylo.

Other contenders were far behind.

Former President Joseph Estrada of Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino (Force of the Filipino masses) got 17 per cent, ahead by one percentage point from last month's survey.

Senator Richard Gordon of Bagumbayan (New Nation) party and evangelist Eddie Villanueva of Bangon Pilipinas (Rise Up Philippines) got two per cent each.

Former Defence Secretary Gilbert Teodoro of the administration-backed Lakas-CMD party, Olongapo City Councilor J.C. Delos Reyes of Ang Kapatiran (The Brotherhood) party and independent candidates Senator Jamby Madrigal and environmentalist Nicanor Perlas got one per cent each. Five per cent of the respondents remained undecided, the survey showed.

Still ahead

Meanwhile, in another survey done by Business World, business daily, and the Social Weather Station (SWS) on 2,100 respondents, from March 19 to 22, Aquino's voters' preference rating was 37 per cent while Villar had 28 per cent.

The survey showed Aquino enjoying an improvement in support in Luzon from 30 per cent to 35 percent; and among classes A, B, and C from 17 to 45 per cent, and class E from 31 to 33 per cent. He lost support in Metro Manila, from 42 to 39 per cent, and in Mindanao, from 35 to 32 per cent, the Business World-SWS survey said.

Villar's support eroded in almost all geographic areas and socioeconomic classes, except in Metro Manila where he kept his score of 20 per cent, the survey said. In a previous survey done by SWS from February 24-28, the gap between Aquino and Villar was two percentage points.

In the same survey, former President Estrada got 19 per cent; administration candidate Teodoro, six per cent; Gordon, three per cent; and evangelist Vilanueva, two per cent.