MANILA (UPDATED) — Results of the latest Social Weather Stations survey reflect an expected advantage for administration candidates and familiar faces and names, political analyst Julio Teehankee said. 

The SWS survey commissioned by the Stratbase Group showed more respondents preferring eight candidates in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas, with ACT-CIS Rep. Erwin Tulfo getting 45% of votes had elections been held last December.

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"So, as expected, lamang ang mga kaalyado ng administrasyon. Ito ang regular na pattern kapag midterm elections. Mukhang llamado pag ikaw ay nakadikit sa administrasyon," he said, adding the survey results could also be a prompt for other administration bets to adjust their campaign messages. 

(As expected, the administration allies were in the lead. This is a regular pattern for midterm elections. You are seen as having an advantage if you are close to the administration)

He added name and brand recall are still a factor as familiar names and former senators did will in the pre-election poll. 

Teehankee pointed out, however, that not all the names on the administration ticket did well in the recent SWS survey.

Political analyst Jean Franco said that may indicate that "people are becoming more discerning — I hope so — with regard to these initial results."

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SOTTO: SURVEYS ARE INSTRUCTIVE

Former Senate President Vicente Sotto III, second on the SWS poll, said the survey is instructive.

"My political group always gathers all surveys and read through them, areas covered, type of respondents and such. Then we get a bigger picture of the political landscape," Sotto of the Nationalist People's Coalition said. 

"The results are encouraging for a first-time national candidate like me and I am grateful for the support," Makati Mayor Abby Binay, who is also on the administration slate, said.

While the administration slate seems to be doing well, Teehankee said the opposition seems splintered.

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"May tatlong grupo ang pumupusturang oposisyon. Sa isang banda, yung tinatawag natin, Pink-Yellow Alliance, yung mga dating sumuporta sa kandidatura ng dating vice-presidente, Leni Robredo. Ang kaliwa o yung hard left, Makabayan bloc, at ang mga dating ka-alyado ng administrasyon, ang mga Duterte supporters, yung tinatawag natin DDS," Teehankee said.

(There are three groups posturing as the opposition: What we call the Pink-Yellow Alliance of former supporters of then-Vice President Leni Robredo's presidential run, the hard left or the Makabayan bloc, and the Duterte supporters or DDS)

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'NO TIME TO RELAX'

Sen. Ronald dela Rosa of the former administration PDP party thinks his 10th place ranking in the January 17-20 Social Weather Station survey is "not a safe place."

Dela Rosa, in a text message to reporters, acknowledged this is no time for him to relax, adding "it is better to be running scared than to be complacent."

Sen. Bong Go, also of PDP, on the other hand, shares 3rd-4th place with fellow reelectionist, administration candidate Lito Lapid. 

"Sipag at serbisyo po ang puwede kong ialay sa ating mga kababayang Pilipino," Go said a she expressed gratitude for the survey results.

Senate President Francis Escudero said the survey rankings may still change once the official campaign period begins and the much vaunted machinery of the administration kicks in. 

"It's promising because this preference survey does not even take into account yet the machinery of the administration, which will kick in once the campaign period for local positions start," he said.

"Given that this is a mid-term elections, the political machinery of the administration is equal to none and will definitely be a boost to the chances of the administration’s candidates."