Former senators Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV and Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan expressed surprise and gratitude after securing higher ranks among the emerging “Magic 12” winners in this year’s senatorial race, surpassing expectations set by their low standings in pre-election surveys.
While Aquino and his team “had a good feeling” he will win in this year’s midterm elections, the sudden upset ranking at Top 2 was a complete surprise to the comebacking senator.
Speaking to his team and the media at his campaign headquarters in Quezon City, Aquino said he was both surprised and happy with the current results, albeit partial and unofficial.
“Very, very surprised. Siyempre masaya. But sobrang unexpected ito. Kahit ‘yung team ko unexpected sa kanila na ganito kataas, we had a good feeling, pasok kami. Pero ‘yung ganito kataas, hindi talaga namin ‘yun unexpected,” he said.
The expectation, he added, was for him to place “anywhere from six to 10.”
The senatorial candidate initially credited his win to youth votes, in particular, as this was something he had seen on the campaign trail—parents whispering to him that their children wanted them to vote for him.
“And palagay ko sila (youth) ‘yung malaking factor sa pagkapanalo namin ni Kiko,” referring to his tandem, Kiko, who’s currently on the Top 5.
Aquino also received last-minute and critical endorsements from the influential Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC), Jesus Is Lord Church (JIL), Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), among others.
Aquino hovered between the 11th spot and the 16th spot in pre-election surveys days before the elections.
IT’S A MIRACLE
For his part, Pangilinan said it was a “miracle” that he received as much votes since he was well-outside the winning circle in pre-election surveys.
Speaking to reporters via Zoom on late Monday night, May 12, just a few hours after the closing of the polls, the presumed senator expressed his gratitude to his supporters despite the tally has yet to be official.
“We didn’t expect ‘yung ganitong paglabas ng resulta dahil nga base sa lahat ng mga surveys wala tayo lagi sa Top 12. And therefore, na-sorpresa rin tayo, but at the back of our minds, there is one path to victory and it all depended to the last big push, iyong huling big push which we did,” he explained.
“Sabi ko nga kailangan ko ng milagro para manalo. Mukhang iyon ang nangyari. In the last minute, maraming decided who said — sige bigyan natin ng tiyansa ang ating naging mensahe,” he added.
Pangilinan credited his apparent Senate win to an aggressive campaign effort in the remaining weeks, which included endorsements from local governments, radio interviews, caravans, and a trip to Mindanao with his wife, Megastar Sharon Cuneta-Pangilinan, and his clear message of his advocacy – food security. (Raymund Antonio)
