Re-electionist Senator Imee Marcos' ranking in Thursday's OCTA research continues to drop to 18th place while the senatorial race continues to tighten, yet those out of the Magic 12 may still have 'statistical probability' for the May 12 midterm election, according to the survey firm's head.

In a television interview, OCTA Research President Ranjit Rye said that despite a rating of 18th 27 percent in a survey conducted from March 18-24, Marcos still has a chance to enter the Magic 12.

"We can see that the senatorial race is tightening. The one at the end of the list but still has a statistical chance to still get in the top 12 is Senator Imee Marcos," Rye said.

PDP-Laban Senator Bong Go leads the survey, ranking first with 64 percent, with a two percent increase from February's survey. ACT-CIS Partylist Rep. Erwin Tulfo is in second place.

The recent OCTA survey also showed the entry of former senators Bam Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan, ranking 15th with 28 percent and 16th with a 27 percent.

Rye believed that the rise of the ranking of pro-Duterte candidates, along with the voter percentage drop in Marcos-allied candidates was an effect of former president Rodrigo Duterte's arrest and eventual detention to The Hague.

“We captured the surge in support for PDP-Laban candidates, but the big story is that other personalities who we did not expect to get in, got in,” Rye commented. Yzabela Velez-White/DMS