Senate comeback fueled by youth votes
Former Senator Bam Aquino is riding high as unofficial results show him and his ally Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan making a strong return to the Senate. Aquino attributes their success to the enthusiastic backing of young voters, a key factor that propelled their tandem into winning positions.
“Very unexpected po ito. This morning napakiramdaman po namin makakapasok kami, pero siyempre hindi ganito kataas,” Aquino said. (This is unexpected. We actually got a hunch this morning that we could make it but we did not expect to rank this high.)
He expressed heartfelt gratitude to all supporters, especially the youth, saying, “Kaya nagpapasalamat kami sa lahat ng mga tumulong, lahat ng mga volunteers, especially yung mga kabataan. Tingin ho namin yung mga kabataan talaga yung nagdala sa amin ni Sen. Kiko sa winning circle.” (We are so thankful to everyone who helped, to all the volunteers, especially the youth. We think that it was the youth who helped us Senator Kiko to make it in the winning circle.)
Strong youth support shapes election outcomes
According to the Commission on Elections’ partial and unofficial tally as of 11:44 p.m., Aquino secured second place with 20,269,423 votes, while Pangilinan landed fifth with 14,811,804 votes. Aquino revealed that Pangilinan was the first person he contacted after seeing the initial results. “Siya po yung una kong tinawagan. Ang sabi ko, ‘Boss, we made it,’” he said. (He was the first one I called. I told him, ‘Boss, we made it.’)
Their comeback contrasts with past setbacks. Aquino missed the top 12 in 2019, finishing 14th, while Pangilinan was defeated by Sara Duterte in the 2022 vice presidential race. This time, Aquino notes a marked difference in his campaign experience. “Talagang every election cycle, you have to present yourself again […] Mas magaan ngayon. Hindi ako yung pinaka na-troll. In 2019, I think ako yung pinaka nato-troll nung panahon na ‘yun. Ngayon iba yung nangyayari sa national politics,” he explained. (In every election cycle, you have to present yourself again […] Things felt lighter this time because I’m not the one being targeted by trolls anymore. In 2019, I was a victim of trolls. Things have changed now in national politics.)
Ready to implement reforms upon return
Aquino’s campaign focused on enhancing the free college education program and pledging support to help students find employment more easily. Looking ahead, he is eager to begin work on these reforms. “We are very ready to work already. We can’t wait till we get back in July para simulan ang mga reporma na ito,” he declared. (We are very ready to work already. We can’t wait till we get back in July to start working on these reforms.)
As the election results continue to unfold, the strong youth vote clearly played a decisive role in shaping the Senate comeback for both Aquino and Pangilinan, signaling renewed hope for their legislative agendas.