The survey, conducted from December 21 to 28, showed Cayetano with 35.5%, slightly ahead of senate returnee and incumbent Sorsogon Governor Chiz Escudero who settled for second place with 34.4%.
Close behind Cayetano and Escudero were Mark Villar (33.4%) and Loren Legarda (32.6%), who shared third and fourth places.
Occupying the fifth to seventh places are TV personality Raffy Tulfo (26.9%) and Senate re-electionists Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri (26.6%), and Joel Villanueva (26.4%).
Senate re-electionist Win Gatchalian landed 8th place and is preferred by 25% of the respondents, while former Vice-President Jejomar Binay (24.1%) and celebrity Robin Padilla (24.5%) clinched the 9th to 10th ranks.
Three former senators made it on the last places at 11th to 13th ranks – Jinggoy Estrada (19.7%), JV Ejercito (19.2%), and re-electionist Risa Hontiveros (19.1%).
Trailing the Magic 12 of the IPO survey are former Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista (18.8%) and former National Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro (18.3%) at 14th to 15th, former Senator and DICT Secretary Gringo Honasan (17.4%), Presidential Legal Counsel Atty. Sal Panelo (17.2%), and former Press Secretary Harry Roque (17%) at 16th to 18th, reelectionist Dick Gordon (16.3%) occupying 19th place, and Atty. Lorenzo Gadon (15.8%), Atty. Chel Diokno (15.6%), and former Agriculture and Mindanao Development Authority Secretary Manny Piñol (15.6%) occupying the 20th to 22nd spot.
Since the survey was done online as physical contact is still not allowed during the time of conduct of the survey, IPO relied heavily on online and targeted social media users who are targeted and identified via sponsored ads in two social media platforms of Meta (Facebook and Instagram).
Respondents were defined to be at least 18 years old, are targeted for contact within the defined geographical radius in each of the major islands of the Philippines, and have valid/active email addresses.
Survey was done at a 95% confidence level and 3% margin of error.