Chiz Is Top Senatoriable

Senatorial candidate Francis "Chiz" Escudero was still leading fellow bets from the Genuine Opposition and the administration Team Unity as the partial and unofficial ABS-CBN/STI media count continued Tuesday.

As of 2:43 a.m., Escudero was on top with 1,312,743 votes, followed by Loren Legarda with 1,249,364. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson had 1,154,180; Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, 1,119,293; and Manuel "Manny" Villar Jr., 1,083,538.

Liberal Party bet Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan had 1,072,721 while GO's Alan Peter Cayetano came up with 935,440 votes, followed by TU's Joker Arroyo (860,447) and Antonio Trillanes IV (850,318).

The remaining slots in the "Magic 12" were filled up by independent candidate Gregorio Honasan (834,971); TU's Edgardo Angara (822,311); and GO's Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III (820,102).

Juan Miguel Zubiri of Team Unity was at 13th spot with 747,859; followed by Ralph Recto (730,137); and GO's Sonia Roco with 669,691.

ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation is leading two separate parallel counts for the May 14 polls that will give audiences a snapshot of how 45.5 million registered Filipino voters chose their leaders.

Bong Osorio, ABS-CBN head of corporate communications, identified the two counts as the "ABS-CBN & STI Media Count" and the "ABS-CBN & Pulse Asia Exit Poll," which can help determine if electoral fraud took place by looking at the figures.

"The media count will systematize ABS-CBN’s election coverage and give on-air figures immediately to the people," said Osorio.

Osorio said the media count will cover more areas and increase its statistical base as compared to 2004. The ABS-CBN & STI Media Count aims to count about 10 percent of the actual votes and will stop after either 24 hours or the target 10 percent is reached.

Apart from the media count, ABS-CBN has partnered with Pulse Asia for the conduct of an exit poll that will entail a random sample of about 10,620 voters nationwide.