Bam Aquino credits victory to youth volunteers

Senatorial candidate Bam Aquino waits in line to cast his vote at South Central Elementary School in Concepcion, Tarlac on Monday, May 12, 2025. — Photo by Maria Adelaida Calayag

MANILA, Philippines — Newly proclaimed Senator-elect Bam Aquino attributed his electoral victory on Saturday to his youth volunteers.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) proclaimed Aquino as the second-ranking senator with 20,971,899 votes in a ceremony at the Manila Hotel.

“You know, our run really was one of a kind. We started so far behind. To be honest, we weren’t in the top 12. In fact, we weren’t even in the top 20 when we first said we would run,” Aquino said in Filipino in his speech after being proclaimed.

Aquino and fellow Senator-elect Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan often lagged in the surveys leading up to Monday’s polls.

“But because of the hard work and perseverance not of your candidate but of the many volunteers, the many young people who supported us, came out, spoke out, posted, went house to house, that’s why we’re here,” he said.

READ: Comelec logs highest-ever midterm polls voter turnout

READ: LIVE UPDATES: Proclamation of 2025 senatorial race winners

The 2025 polls posted an 81.65-percent voter turnout, the highest in the history of midterm elections, according to the Comelec.

Comelec Chairperson George Garcia attributed this to a surge in youth voters.