Bam Aquino, Kiko Pangilinan build LGU base as polls near

In a span of three months, opposition candidates Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan and Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV have quietly amassed support from administration-allied government officials which could bolster their chances of making it into the Magic 12 this May 12.

Since the campaign period began last March, the two former senators aiming to return to the chamber have bagged endorsements from vote-rich provinces and cities that in 2022 were not as keen on supporting the presidential run of Leni Robredo, their ally in the Liberal Party.

A review of publicly available endorsements showed that the two have been endorsed by 77 high-ranking local officials—five governors, 11 congressmen, and 53 mayors mostly from the vote-rich Regions 3 and 4.

Five incumbent senators—Francis Escudero, JV Ejercito, Risa Hontiveros, Sherwin Gatchalian and Joel Villanueva—have also vouched for their former colleagues in Congress.

Pangilinan, meanwhile, got the backing of the United Bangsamoro Justice Party, the political party of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) ruling the autonomous region of 2.3 million voters.

He is the first senatorial candidate to be endorsed by the party for this elections, after he visited Camp Darapanan in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao del Norte province, on May 2.

In 2022, the party endorsed only Robredo though eventually her rival Ferdinand Marcos Jr. won in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). At the time, Pangilinan—who was running against Mindanaoan and then Davao Mayor Sara Duterte—did not get their endorsement for the vice presidency.

Local execs

One of the first governors to endorse “Kiko-Bam” were Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson of the administration-allied Nationalist People’s Coalition.

The sugarcane province has been reliably opposition until 2022, when it delivered a landslide win for Sara Duterte.

Two mayors—Albee Benitez of Bacolod and Salvador Escalante of Cadiz—have endorsed Pangilinan, who is running on an agricultural platform.

The two—either as a pair or as individual candidates—also got the nod of several mayors in Batangas (2 million voters), Cavite (2.4 million), and Laguna (2.1 million), which altogether represent over 6.5 million voters.

In Nueva Ecija (1.6 million), Aquino also got the endorsement of Gov. Aurelio Umali, Palayan City Mayor Vianne Cuevas and San Jose Mayor Mario Salvador.

In Cavite, which swung to the Dutertes in 2022, Aquino was endorsed by Carmona Mayor Dahlia Loyola, General Trias Mayor Jon Ferrer and Imus Mayor Alex Advincula.

Pangilinan, meanwhile, got the endorsement of several mayors in Pangasinan—notably a Solid North province—including in vote-rich Dagupan and the Celestes of Alaminos and Sual.

He also got the nod of three mayors in Bulacan province and 17 mayors in Laguna province.

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These provinces are part of the coveted Lingayen-Lucena corridor, which comprises about 40 percent of voters in the country.

‘Huge push’

There are also expected endorsements from Visayan provinces historically aligned with the Liberal Party. This includes the Defensors and Garins of Iloilo; Capiz Gov. Fredenil Castro, and Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone.

These endorsements, as well as their decision to run a “disciplined campaign” that focuses only on their platforms, seem to have been benefiting the two candidates as they steadily climb senatorial preference surveys, said Ateneo de Manila University political science professor Arjan Aguirre in an analysis of senatorial preference surveys released last month.

“This is a huge push as they continue to consolidate the ‘pink’ voters who are still supporting Leni Robredo and her advocacies on good governance and progressive leadership,” he added.

When the campaign began, both Aquino and Pangilinan were trailing behind in surveys and were perennially just on the edge of the so-called Magic 12 circle.

But recent Pulse Asia, WR Numero and OCTA Research surveys for the month of March showed Pangilinan now statistically tied with other administration candidates for the last three slots, with Aquino now in the Magic 12 .

“The support we have been getting from so many LGU leaders—even from places that we didn’t expect—warms our heart,” Pangilinan told the Inquirer. “This is a big deal for us because this shows that our calls to unite against hunger and high prices are gaining momentum. In the end, walang kulay ang gutom.”