Manila: Philippine opposition lawmaker Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino held a 19-point lead over his nearest rival in next month's presidential election, the biggest margin since December, a poll showed on Thursday.
Support for Aquino, the son of the country's late democracy leader Corazon "Cory" Aquino, hit 39 percent. He increased his lead over main rival Manuel "Manny" Villar, whose approval rating slipped to 20 percent, pollster Pulse Asia said.
Villar, a property magnate-turned-senator, was tied in second place with former president Joseph "Erap" Estrada, who had made steady gains, the poll showed.
More than 50 million Filipinos will choose a president and nearly 18,000 national and local officials in the country's first automated vote count on May 10.
Analysts say Villar's ratings have slipped because he is seen as close to unpopular President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and her husband, and for running a lavish election campaign.
Villar has denied any links with Arroyo, whose popularity has plunged to a record minus 53 percent in March over allegations of election fraud and corruption during her nine years in office.
The survey involved 1,800 respondents across the country and was conducted on April 23-25.
The poll results, which have a 2 percent margin of error, were posted on the Pulse Asia website (http://www.pulseasia.com.ph)
Analysts say money, muscle and established political machinery mean more than opinion polls in Philippines elections.
"Surveys are not very good indicators, in view of past records and in view of the system they use, which is not very accurate," Benito Lim, political science professor at the Ateneo de Manila University, told Reuters. He said polls did not show issues or the reasons behind respondents' choices
On Monday, pollster Social Weather Stations (SWS) issued its own survey results, showing Aquino with a double-digit margin over Villar for the first time since December.
Government candidate Gilberto "Gibo" Teodoro remained a distant fourth with a 7 percent rating.
