VICE PRESIDENT Noli de Castro and Senators Loren Legarda and Manny Villar remain the popular choices to succeed President Arroyo in 2010, the Fourth Quarter Social Weather Stations survey from Nov. 28 to Dec. 1 showed.

Thirty-one percent of 1,500 respondents nationwide chose De Castro compared to 28 percent who chose Legarda and 27 percent who picked Villar.

De Castro’s ratings were up by 1 point from the SWS Third Quarter survey while Legarda also went up by 2 points, overtaking Villar who went down by 1 point.

The other top contenders are Sen. Francis Escudero (19 percent), Sen. Panfilo Lacson (14 percent) and former president Joseph Estrada (11 percent) and Sen. Mar Roxas (10 percent).

Lacson and Roxas went down by 3 points. Estrada went down by 2 points.

Rounding up the contenders are Makati mayor Jejomar Binay and Metro Manila Development Authority chair Bayani Fernando each with 2 percent, Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago, and Francis Pangilinan, Juan Miguel Zubiri and Antonio Trillanes IV, Planning secretary Ralph Recto and Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto with 1 percent each.

Senators Richard Gordon (0.5 percent) and Juan Ponce Enrile (0.4 percent), televangelist and Jesus Is Lord leader Eddie Villanueva (0.4 percent), and former speaker and Pangasinan Rep. Jose De Venecia Jr. (0.4 percent).