Lacson: Kiko, Bam biggest beneficiaries of Alyansa-DuterTen tiff

Panfilo Lacson. — Inquirer file photo

MANILA, Philippines — The high rankings earned by the two-person opposition slate — that of former Senators Kiko Pangilinan and Bam Aquino — can be attributed to the fight between line-ups aligned with the Dutertes and the current administration, former Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said on Wednesday.

Lacson in a statement noted that both Pangilinan and Aquino campaigned hard and presented an alternative to the DuterTen, or the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino slate backed by former President Rodrigo Duterte, and the Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas headed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

“All that being said, the biggest beneficiaries of “DuterTen” and “Alyansa Minus Two” are Bam Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan,” Lacson, himself a member of the Alyansa, said.

“To their credit, they are both qualified, and they campaigned hard, to the last day of the 90-day campaign period. I certainly look forward to working with them again in the Senate in case the current trend of the election results holds,” he added.

According to the partial and unofficial count from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) transparency servers as of 11:29 a.m. of Wednesday, Aquino still holds the second spot, with over 20.63 million votes.  Pangilinan meanwhile is fifth with 15.08 million votes.

READ: Aquino, Pangilinan feats hailed as ‘real opposition’ gain 

The rankings of Aquino and Pangilinan, known allies of former vice president Leni Robredo — are a far cry from what surveys predicted.  The final Social Weather Stations (SWS) final survey for the senatorial race taken from May 2 to 6 showed that both Aquino and Pangilinan would be outside the winning circle.

While SWS correctly predicted that PDP’s Senator Bong Go would be a frontrunner, the rankings have been shaken, with the survey’s top-ranked ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo dropping to fourth place; from third in the surveys to eighth for former Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III; and from fourth in the survey to 11th in the partial count for Senator Lito Lapid.

READ: Erwin Tulfo leads final SWS survey on Senate race 

Lacson, who was predicted to be ranked sixth by SWS, is currently seventh in the quick and unofficial count with 14.85 million votes.

Like Lacson, Tulfo, Sotto, and Lapid are part of the Alyansa.

READ: When pre-poll surveys go way off mark 

Lacson, a veteran of many elections, believes that having more young voters, social media, and former president Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest all played a role in the “surprising” outcome of the elections.

The former senator also admitted that the administration’s machinery failed.

“Big surprises on big wins and big upsets. From a non-expert with long experience in campaigns and elections, these are some of the game changers: the millennials and Gen Z who went out and voted; social media; former President Rodrigo Duterte,” he said.

“The much-hyped administration machinery especially during the midterm elections failed,” he added.  “There are certainly lots to learn from the recently concluded midterm elections. One thing is for certain: when all is said and done, it’s the people who get to decide. This is the essence of democracy.”

Aside from Tulfo, Lacson, Sotto, and Lapid, only two other Alyansa bets made it to the prospective Magic 12 — Senator Pia Cayetano who is ranked ninth, with 14.30 million votes, and Deputy Speaker Camille Villar who is 10th, with 13.35 million votes.

Despite beliefs that the Alyansa underperformed — as surveys predicted that eight or nine administration-backed candidates would win — Alyansa campaign manager and Navotas City Rep. Toby Tiangco said on Tuesday that they still consider the results of the 2025 senatorial race as a vote of confidence for the administration.

READ: Alyansa considers poll results ‘vote of confidence’ for admin 

Tiangco said this is a “clear signal” to move forward with the administration’s legislative agenda, and address the people’s top issues.

“We view this as a clear signal to move forward with greater urgency and focus, guided by the aspirations of our people and committed to addressing the issues that concern them the most,” he said. /jpv