Sara Duterte, Raffy Tulfo tie in 2028 presidential poll
Vice President Sara Duterte and Senator Raffy Tulfo tied in a mock one-on-one presidential pre-election conducted by Pulse Asia.
According to the polling firm, the rider questions, or additional questions attached to a survey, were commissioned by the Office of Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri. The nationwide survey was conducted from Feb. 27 to March 2.
Zubiri explained the purpose in commissioning the survey, saying, "We are doing this to get a regular reading of the field... In politics, information is power. One survey gives you a snapshot, but a series gives you a pattern."
Participants were asked, "If the May 2028 elections are held today and the following are the candidates, we would like to ask whom you will vote for as president in the following lists."
One list pitted Duterte against Tulfo. Both tied at 46% across the nation. In the National Capital Region, they tied at 42%. Tulfo dominated the rest of Luzon at 72%, with Duterte trailing behind at 19%. In Visayas, Duterte led at 64%, while Tulfo received 32%. The biggest gap was in Mindanao, with Duterte logging in at 90% and Tulfo at 9%.
Pulse Asia clarified figures may not add up to 100% as these are rounded off.
In terms of votes by class, Tulfo "won" among the ABC class, getting 49% against 29% for Duterte. In class D, Duterte just barely made it at 48% against Tulfo's 47%. Duterte hit a landslide in Class E, where she got 63% of votes compared to 32% for Tulfo.
A total of 16% were undecided or refused to participate in NCR; 9% in the rest of Luzon; 5% in Visayas; and 1% in Mindanao. At 22%, the bulk of the undecided vote came from Class ABC.
Another list pitted Duterte against Naga Mayor and former Vice President Leni Robredo. Overall, Duterte received 51% of the vote against 43% for Robredo. However, Robredo took the majority vote in NCR with 42% to Duterte's 41%. The largest gap occurred in the rest of Luzon, with Robredo taking 67%, and Duterte trailing at 26%. Figures reversed in Visayas, where Duterte dominated with 67%, leaving 31% for Robredo. In Mindanao, the difference was even greater: Duterte received 93%, while Robredo got 6%.
According to class vote, Class ABC showed preference for Robredo, giving her 63%. Duterte received 30%. Class D and E flipped the results, with Duterte getting 53% in D and 74% in E. Robredo trailed with 41% in D and 23% in E.
A total of 17% were undecided in NCR; 6% in the rest of Luzon, 3% in Visayas, and 1% in Mindanao.
On Feb. 18, 2026, Duterte officially declared her bid for the presidency in the 2028 national elections. In March 2026, Tulfo stated he had no plans to run for president or vice president "as of today, as of the future". Similarly, in April, Robredo ruled out the possibility of her running for a national office in 2028. Instead, she said, she was going to try for a second term as mayor of Naga.
No plans for higher office—Tulfo
In an ambush interview with the press on May 5, Sen. Erwin Tulfo, Sen. Raffy's younger brother, asked polling firms to leave his brother and himself out of their surveys.
"Please, please leave us alone. 'Wag niyo muna isama 'yung mga pangalan namin [sa survey]," Sen. Erwin said. "Ang plano lang talaga namin, hanggang dito lang kami sa senado."
He relayed he and his brother spoke last night after Sen. Raffy saw the survey results circulating on social media, adding his brother was "worried" as the inclusion of his name might trigger bashing from Duterte's supporters.
"Wala naman talagang kaplano-plano 'yung kapatid ko...or sino man sa amin to run for higher office sa 2028. Okay na kami dito sa senado," Sen. Erwin said.
He said they prefer to stay out of the limelight for now as they are still recovering from the bashing they received from the public in 2025.
During a separate interview, Sen. Raffy reaffirmed he isn't seeking the presidency in 2028, stating he is content with his current position.
"I believe I'm doing very well as Senator and I can do a lot more as Senator. Therefore, maasahan niyo re-electionist ako sa 2028," he said. (with reports from Neil Jayson Servallos)
