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.