Unexpected Rise in Election Rankings
Former senators Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV and Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan expressed their amazement and joy after discovering they placed second and fifth respectively in the early election results, defying pre-election surveys that had them outside the top 12.
Pangilinan shared, “Our team has a Telegram thread, doon ko nakita na nasa Top 5 na nga. Akala ko fake news. Sa dinami dami na fake news na natatangap ko araw-araw sa kampanya, ang sabi ko, ‘Totoo ba ito? Baka disinformation ito,’ totoo pala.” He admitted that the flood of misinformation during the campaign made him skeptical at first. “Ako yata ang summa cum laude ng disinformation ng kampanyang ito kaya nakita natin apektado tayo sa mga surveys kaya ng lumabas I initially thought, well I couldn’t believe it. Hindi ako makapaniwala.”
To verify these surprising rankings, the former senator checked the social media updates multiple times to confirm the legitimacy of the results showing him in fifth place.
Details of Their Early Election Standing
According to the early count from the Commission on Elections’ media transparency server, Aquino leads with 20 million votes, securing the second spot, while Pangilinan is fifth with 14.8 million votes.
Aquino humbly credited the outcome to collective effort: “This is really an unprecedented result. At yan po ay, gaya nang nasabi ko, hindi lang iyan dahil sa akin. Dahil ‘yan sa ating lahat.” He acknowledged the hard work put in by the entire team, saying, “We worked extra hours, more than 90 days. We’ve done it [all].”
The Power of Community and Endorsements
Pangilinan highlighted that their surprising success was a community effort involving endorsements, volunteers, and tireless voter outreach. “We didn’t expect yung ganitong klaseng paglabas ng resulta dahil nga base sa lahat ng mga surveys, wala tayo lagi sa top 12. And therefore, nasurpresa rin tayo. But at the back of our minds, sabi ko there is one path to victory. And it all depended on the last big push,” he explained.
He described the campaign’s final moments as a true miracle: “Sabi ko nga, kailangan namin ng milagro para manalo at mukhang ‘yun ang nangyari. In the last minute, people, maraming undecided who said, sige, bigyan natin ng chance.” This fifth-place finish matches his best performance in a Senate race since 2007.
Strategic Endorsements and Voter Influence
Both Aquino and Pangilinan benefited from endorsements by influential groups and leaders, including the Iglesia ni Cristo, Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia, the Remullas of Cavite, and Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte during the campaign’s final stretch.
These areas—Cebu, Cavite, and Quezon City—together hold over 6.5 million registered voters. The Iglesia ni Cristo, with at least two million voters and a reputation for bloc voting, played a crucial role in shaping the election outcome.
Their combined efforts have defied expectations and reshaped the political landscape, proving that persistence and grassroots support can overcome unfavorable surveys.