MANILA - The Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey on presidential aspirants, released Wednesday, elicited varied responses from the aspirants and their supporters.

Sen. Manuel Villar may still be the frontrunner in the SWS presidential surveys, but former president Joseph “Erap” Estrada was the biggest gainer in the survey conducted in June, jumping to second place. (Read: Villar keeps lead, Erap jumps to 2nd in SWS survey)

The survey was done from June 19 to 22, when Estrada was visible in leadership fora, media interviews, and in provincial sorties.

Villar, on the other hand, skipped several fora, but has spent aggressively on media advertisements.

The SWS declined to comment when asked if these had any bearing on the numbers.

Noli shrugs off results; Lakas worried

Vice-President Noli de Castro shrugged off the survey results, which showed him slipping in the rankings.

De Castro said the numbers could change as soon as he makes a final announcement on his political plans.

All de Castro said is that he is ready to campaign for president and ready to be president.

However, Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri said the merged Lakas-Kampi party is worried by de Castro's decline in the survey.

Zubiri said they will help the vice-president, as well as National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chair Bayani Fernando, who are also lagging in the surveys, to raise their public profile.

Zubiri also admitted that the rankings of possible opposition bets are rising.

Zubiri said Villar is reported to have 4 advertising companies handling his publicity efforts, which helped him raise his profile in the media.

Estrada, on the other hand, does not hold any position in government and is free to roam the country, he added.

Happy Estrada camp

Meanwhile, the camp of Estrada, the biggest survey gainer, was happy over the results.

Former Senator Ernesto Maceda, Estrada's political adviser, said that the former president's travels around the country have helped in raising his profile and boosting his ratings.

Maceda said Estrada's edge is that he has been to more provinces compared with his potential rivals for the presidential race in 2010, which showed the public his intention to run.

He also said Erap's media visibility has helped.

Maceda, however, stopped short of confirming Estrada's candidacy, saying the chances for the opposition uniting behind one candidate becomes slimmer by the day.

"For the first time, I will tell you, There is no doubt in my mind that he will be running. I could not see how the likes of Manny and Mar would unite in favor of the other, I don't see Loren ever accepting Manny Villar, hindi naman talaga makakapag-unite. Erap's precondition na ‘hindi mag- unite tatakbo ako!’ is already 99%," Maceda said.

Estrada agreed with him and said that he will not back down from running for the presidency in 2010 if the public wants him to. He added, however, that it is not yet time to declare his candidacy.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, meanwhile, said Erap's drawing power is still there, and said he could give all other presidential candidates "a run for their money," if his candidacy isn't barred.

Enrile also said that Estrada's political machinery could be greater or equal to other potential candidates.

"Erap shall run," Enrile added. -- With reports from RG Cruz, Maricar Bautista, and Sheryll Mundo, ABS-CBN News