Estrada heads for crushing victory: Survey

Estrada heads for crushing victory: Survey

MANILA (Reuters): A voter survey released by one of the Philippines' few trusted pollsters yesterday showed ex-actor Joseph Estrada headed for a crushing victory in the country's presidential election.

But the ruling party labeled as a "sinister plot" exit polls following Monday's election, which almost unanimously predict an Estrada triumph.

Snail-paced hand counting of the 27 million votes will take about two weeks to produce an official winner.

The latest survey by the respected Social Weather Stations showed Vice President Estrada led his nearest rival and outgoing President Fidel Ramos's choice, House Speaker Jose de Venecia, by 22 points.

"It's a very, very large margin and 22 points is more or less six million votes," Mahar Mangahas, the head of the polling organization said.

The survey, based on interviews of voters after Monday's election, showed Estrada with 38.5 percent, while de Venecia had 16.5 percent.

"There is indeed a sinister plot to condition the public into accepting victory of the opposition presidential candidate Joseph Estrada at a time when there has been absolutely no official count made," Raul Manglapus, president of the ruling Lakas party and former foreign minister, said in a statement.

The survey also showed the ruling party candidate for vice president, Senator Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, with 50.5 points -- way ahead of her rivals.

The officially sanctioned private body doing a "quick" count of the votes has managed to tally a little more than one percent. This also shows Estrada ahead.

The focus is now on the count, the slowness of which in the past has allowed massive cheating.

"I appeal to our people to be vigilant. Let's not be overconfident," Estrada said. "Let us guard our ballots so that the people will know who will be their president."

The danger of cheating during the count was also a concern of the country's most prominent churchman, Jaime Cardinal Sin.

"The possibility of wholesale cheating...is still with us," said the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Manila, who had denounced Estrada during the campaign as morally unfit to govern.

Ramos, urging the nation to "heal the wounds" inflicted by divisive campaigning, pledged a peaceful handover on June 30.

But he refused to concede an Estrada victory was inevitable: "Right now it's just too early."

De Venecia insisted he was leading in one exit poll, which he said showed him four points ahead of the ex-actor, 27 to 23.

The long election campaign has been marked by mudslinging and vicious personal attacks, with political rallies geared more at entertaining than at addressing policy issues.

Estrada's choice for finance secretary, Edgardo Espiritu, told Reuters Television that if they took office they would stick to Ramos's economic reforms, cut interest rates, eradicate graft and help the poor.

Estrada has been widely criticized by the business community, which is suspicious of his lack of economic background, especially when the economy is struggling to recover from the regional financial crisis.