PARTIDO Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) standard bearer former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has recorded a commanding and virtually unreachable 46% voter preference lead over his nearest rival in the presidential race, according to the latest Laylo Research pre-election survey conducted from February 14 to 21, 2022.

This, after Marcos posted a solid 63% voter preference among the 3,000 respondents in the survey, proving once more that he has the support of the majority of Filipinos, with 6 out of 10 voters choosing him over the other candidates.

Meanwhile, miles away is Leni Robredo, who only got 17%.

Tied for the third spot with seven percent apiece are Manila Mayor Isko Moreno and Sen. Manny Pacquiao, followed by Sen. Ping Lacson with three percent.

Marcos also dominated the major voting areas with voter preferences at NCR-61%, North/Central Luzon-80%, South Luzon/Bicol-48%, Visayas 53%, and Mindanao with 71%.

The voter preference by region also showed that the Solid North voting bloc stands behind the UniTeam as Marcos posted 80% in North/Central Luzon, 86% in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), 91% in Ilocos, and 98% in Cagayan Valley.

Among the top reasons why respondents preferred Marcos over the other candidates were his distinguished public service career, his achievements as local chief executive of Ilocos Norte, and his intelligence which shows a clear grasp on issues.

Political pundits have also started referring to Marcos as a ‘Teflon’ candidate because his survey numbers continue to remain high amid unrelenting criticisms from other presidential bets.

The UniTeam previously said that it would not engage in negative campaigning, a promise that it has kept to this day despite constant attacks from rabid critics.

Instead, Marcos and his running-mate, Inday Sara, stepped up their call for unity among Filipinos as the country charts a path towards recovery from the pandemic.

Marcos has appealed to everyone to join the ‘Kilusan ng Pagkakaisa’ as a means for Filipinos to commit themselves to nation-building.

Marcos and Inday Sara have always believed that achieving unity is the first step towards sustained economic recovery and progress.

The formidable tandem previously said they would continue some of the programs that the current Duterte administration has started, particularly the Build, Build, Build program.

In addition, Marcos cited the need to push for a robust digital infrastructure that would allow the country to go through a digital shift and increase the efficiency of delivering government services to the people.

He has also sought further support for MSMEs to help them recover from the pandemic.

Marcos is also a strong proponent of reviving the agriculture sector by focusing on research and development, financial support to farmers, supply chain, and distribution improvements for the entire sector.

Political analysts also noted that the UniTeam’s survey numbers still have room to grow, especially when the official campaign period for local posts starts in March.

This period is expected to haul in more support for Marcos and Inday Sara as candidates from the coalition start their respective campaigns and promote the UniTeam slate in their respective bailiwicks.

The Laylo Research survey results validated Marcos’ front-runner position in the presidential race, clearly showing an upward trend observed from previous SWS, Pulse Asia, Publicus Asia, and Kalye surveys.