Bam Aquino, Kiko Pangilinan projected to return to Senate in 2025 polls

Former senators Bam Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan are projected to make a political comeback, securing second and fifth place, respectively, in the 2025 senatorial race.

As of Tuesday, May 13, 2025, partial and unofficial results from the Comelec show Aquino with 16,813,242 votes and Pangilinan with 12,291,691 votes, with 80.40% of election results processed.

This outcome has surprised many, as pre-election surveys did not predict their strong performance.

Aquino expressed his surprise, stating that he and his team did not expect to rank this high.

Both senators ran campaigns that strategically distanced themselves from political parties and faced significant negative campaigning and disinformation.

They also faced the dominance of two powerful political clans: the Marcoses and the Dutertes.

Pangilinan previously lost the vice-presidential contest in 2022, while Aquino opted out of the 2022 elections after failing to secure reelection in 2019.