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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'They can stand toe to toe': Drilon backs Kiko-Bam for Senate

'They can stand toe to toe': Drilon backs Kiko-Bam for Senate

Published Mar 6, 2025 10:06 am

Former senate president Franklin Drilon vouched for the tracks records and dedication to public service of former senators Kiko Pangilinan and Bam Aquino, saying that Filipinos need them in the Senate.

Kiko-Bam_Drilon.jpeg
Former president Franklin Drilon raises the hands of Kiko Pangilinan and Bam Aquino who are seeking a Senate comeback in the upcoming May polls. (Bam Aquino Media Bureau)

 

Drilon raised the former officials’ hands during a press conference held shortly before the Kiko-Bam volunteer campaign kick-off at the Iloilo Sports Complex on Thursday, March 6. Drilon, together with former vice president Leni Robredo and Senator Risa Hontiveros, were present in the rally.
 

“I am endorsing fully and asking for your help, to help Kiko Pangilinan and Bam Aquino. I was in the Senate for 24 years. If there are people qualified to be in the Senate, it is Kiko and Bam. I have worked with the two of them,” the former senate president, a legal luminary and former Department of Justice (DOJ) secretary, said.
 

“They can stand toe to toe with anyone in this field. They can stand toe to toe to compare how they have performed in the past to be entitled to your support,” he added.
 

Drilon lauded Aquino’s work on difficult legislation, including the Fair Competition Act that created a better business environment for our country and “enabled us to generate more employment opportunities.”
 

For his part, Aquino thanked Drilon for his endorsement, saying he considers the former senate president as a mentor during his first term in the Senate.
 

Panay Island, which comprises the provinces of Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan, Antique, and Guimaras, has been a dependable bailiwick for the Liberal Party, which Aquino was once a member of with Drilon and Pangilinan staying on.
 

In separate occasions, the region has supported the candidacies of Aquino, Pangilinan, and Robredo.
 

During the 2016 vice presidential race, Robredo had a lead of almost one million votes against then vice presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. In 2022, she also won 47.90 percent of the votes in the region.
 

Pangilinan also got 36.06 percent, or 1,398,752 votes, in Western Visayas in the 2022 vice presidential race.
 

Aquino recalled that both in 2019 when he won but lost the senatorial race and in 2022 when he was the Robredo-Pangilinan campaign manager, Iloilo backed them up.
 

"Iyong panahon na lahat ng bala nakatutok sa iyo, lahat ng atake nakatutok sa iyo, nanindigan ang Iloilo para sa akin (At the time when all the bullets and attacks were aimed at you, Iloilo stood up for me),” he said.
 

In the 2019 senatorial elections, Aquino ranked no lower than 4th in the race across Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, and Iloilo, reaffirming the strong support he got from Panay Island.
 

The Island also had a rich history of resistance against the Marcos dictatorship, serving as a base for various groups actively participating in the fight for democracy during the Martial Law years.

Related Tags

Franklin Drilon matalinong boto 2025 Kiko Pangilinan 2025 Senate race Bam Aquino
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