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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Kiko, Bam joining Senate majority? Drilon says the 2 senators still pursuing same advocacies

Kiko, Bam joining Senate majority? Drilon says the 2 senators still pursuing same advocacies

Published Jul 10, 2025 01:58 am
Former senate president Franklin Drilon defended Senators Kiko Pangilinan and Bam Aquino for reportedly joining the Senate majority bloc, saying that the move doesn’t mean they are no longer part of the opposition.

Senators Kiko Pangilinan and Bam Aquino with former senator Franklin Drilon in Iloilo. (Photo from Team Kiko-Bam)
Senators Kiko Pangilinan and Bam Aquino with former senator Franklin Drilon in Iloilo. (Photo from Team Kiko-Bam)
In an interview on OneNews PH, the former senator and stalwart of the Liberal Party (LP) insisted that Pangilinan and Aquino did not switch directions and are still pursuing the same advocacies they pushed for during the 2025 senatorial campaign.

“They didn’t switch directions. Bam campaigned on the platform of education. Kiko campaigned on the platform of food security. That's precisely what they are pursuing by getting into the majority bloc to head the committees on which they stood as an issue when they were campaigning," Drilon explained.

His remarks came amid reports that the senators, who made a surprise but decisive comeback victories in the 2025 national elections, are slated to join the majority bloc when Congress opens on July 28.

Pangilinan is expected to head the Committee on Agriculture, while Aquino will take over the Committee on Education.

“There’s no real opposition or administration bloc. Each senator wants to project his or her own program or policies,” Drilon said, adding that “the platform has become personal.”

Prior to their victories, both senators were expected to join Senator Risa Hontiveros in the minority bloc.

But with the emergence of the faction led by Senator Vicente Sotto III, who is campaigning for the senate presidency, Hontiveros said she would form her own independent bloc in the Senate.

Pangilinan’s and Aquino’s reported plan to join the majority bloc, however, received backlash from their core supporters.

Related Tags

Senate Bam Aquino Kiko Pangilinan majority bloc Franklin Drilon
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