VICE-PRESIDENT Jejomar Binay has retained his lead with 29% in the latest BusinessWorld-Social Weather Stations (BW-SWS) pre-poll presidential preference survey.

Binay is 5 points ahead of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and  Senator Grace Poe who tied at second place with 24%.

Binay, standard bearer of the opposition United Nationalists Alliance (UNA), maintained his lead despite a drop of 2 points from his 31% rating in January.

Duterte, presidential candidate of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Laban (PDP-Laban), upped his score by 4% against his 20% rating in the previus survey; independent bet Poe netted the same number she got in the January survey.

Mar Roxas of the ruling Liberal Party settled at fourth with `18% down from his 21% in January; fifth candidate Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago of the People’s Reform Party  snagged the bottom with 4%.

The latest BW-SWS survey was conducted nationwide from Feb. 5 to 7 with 1,200 validated voters as respondents.

In the vice-presidential race, Senator Bongbong Marcos tied at the top spot with Senator Chiz Escudero, both at 26%.

Escudero lost the lead for the first time since the BW-SWS pre-election survey was conducted in September last year; his score has been in a downtrend  dropping to 26% in February from 28% in the previous month and 30% in the November and December surveys.

Marcos’ 26% score is one percent up from 25% in January.

Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo was third with 19% (from 17%), followed by Senator Alan Peter  Cayetano at fourth with 16% from 14%.

Senator Gringo Honasan  obtained 6% from 8%, while Senator Antonio  Trillanes  had 5% from his previous 3%.