The results of the 2025 midterm elections once again proved a cardinal rule that marketing gurus say about how most Filipino voters — especially the masa (masses) — make their choices: they vote with their heart, not with their mind.
Messages that tug at the heart, combined with a personal machinery, high awareness among voters, and effective communication, spell the difference between making it to the so-called Magic 12 or not. It’s similar to how consumers pick one product brand over another — more often than not, they’re driven by emotions.
What’s unique about the May 12 midterm elections, however, is the rise of a new breed of young voters who are described to be more mature and discerning. Surprisingly, a significant number of them decided not to vote for some established political families, displaying once more the so-called “Barangay Ginebra” spirit of supporting underdogs.
The top three winners of the senatorial race — reelectionist Senator Bong Go, former senator Bam Aquino, and reelectionist Senator Bato dela Rosa — all stand for issues that are close to the heart of Filipinos: health for Go, education for Aquino, and peace and order for Dela Rosa. (READ: Corruption, inflation, education are top of mind for voters – Nerve survey)
Bong Go as ‘Mr. Malasakit’
Many have attributed Go’s top finish in the senatorial race to his Mindanao bailiwick, also called the Solid South, and the endorsement of his longtime boss, former president Rodrigo Duterte. But an overlooked factor in his dominant victory (more than six million margin over second placer Bam Aquino) is his messaging.
Go’s political nickname is “Mr. Malasakit.” Malasakit means compassion and care.
Malasakit Centers, a one-stop shop where those in need can seek medical assistance, was institutionalized during the Duterte administration via Go’s sponsorship of Republic Act 11463 or the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019.
In these centers, those who are sick and in need of medical assistance can get support from government agencies faster than usual. As of February 2024, there were 159 Malasakit Centers nationwide. In some areas, they’re called Super Health Centers.
During Go’s campaign, beneficiaries thanked him for the assistance they received in these centers.
Go also emphasized the laws passed which established new public hospitals and increased bed capacities of public hospitals — a felt need in many provinces and a gut issue to many voters.
Go was endorsed by influential religious groups, the bloc-voting Iglesia Ni Cristo, and Brother Mike Velarde of El Shaddai, pushing up his final tally to a record 26.9 million votes, the highest in Philippine senatorial elections.
Bam Aquino’s ‘Libreng Kolehiyo’
The surprise second-place finish of Bam Aquino — a result which most pre-election surveys failed to predict — indicates how voters both young and old were impacted by what Bam stood for: “Libreng Kolehiyo. Siguradong Trabaho.” (Free College Education. Definite Jobs.)
Being the principal sponsor of Republic Act 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act signed into law during the Duterte administration in 2017, Bam branded himself as the “father of free college education” in the Philippines. Though it didn’t work for him in the 2019 midterm elections amid a highly popular Duterte administration, it clicked at a time of declining public satisfaction with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his administration.
On TikTok, the most influential social media platform of the youth today, among Bam’s powerful videos are his encounters with ordinary people who thanked him for his sponsorship of the law that made college education free in state universities and colleges.
“Thank you po sa education na free. Naka-avail ‘yung anak ko…sa TUP (Technological University of the Philippines) siya naka-graduate. Sabi niya: botohin mo. Botong-boto ka sakin!” said a man on the street whom Aquino encountered.
(Thank you for the free education. My child availed himself of it at TUP, where he graduated. He/she told me: vote for him. I will vote for you.)
A mandate of 20.8 million only means Aquino got the support of a cross section of the electorate, all of whom consider getting a college education very important. Having a college degree makes it easier to get jobs and is a sure ticket to not being dirt-poor.
“Thank you! Naka-graduate na ko dahil sayo. Nakakuha ng magandang work, at nakakapagpaaral ng anak at mga pamangkin sa private. Sobrang thankful,” said netizen omgreally.
(Thank you. I was able to graduate because of you. I was able to get a nice job, and I’m now able to send kids and nephews/nieces to private schools. Very thankful.)
Aquino got 6 million more votes this time around compared to the 2019 midterms when he failed to win a seat, placing 14th with 14 million votes.
In this year’s elections, he distanced himself from the Liberal Party, running instead under the more inclusive-sounding Katipunan ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino Party. This strategy made it easier to build support and endorsements from other parties and sectors since they no longer had to first join the Liberal Party.
His group’s campaign ad with opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros, former senator Kiko Pangilinan, and Akbayan candidate Chel Diokno, which used music from the popular American sitcom Friends, clicked with the youth. It has generated 283,000 likes on TikTok and 20 million views on Facebook on Hontiveros’ social media accounts.
His messaging was consistent and clear, and his pink campaign didn’t have any divisive and negative slogans against the Marcoses and the Dutertes. Bam Aquino’s brand identity has definitely risen.
Bato dela Rosa’s ‘Itaga mo sa Bato’
Dela Rosa is the principal beneficiary of former president Duterte’s popular war on drugs. Surveys have shown that Duterte’s anti-criminality campaign succeeded in making families more safe from street crimes.
Dela Rosa kept this message in the 2025 campaign, but he also pointed out how criminality has seemingly turned for the worse under the Marcos administration.
With kidnappings affecting the Chinese community back in the news and gruesome killings and robberies captured on CCTVs still regular fare on prime time news shows, the number of families dissatisfied with peace and order in their communities has been rising, and Dela Rosa rode on this.
Dela Rosa and Go also had strong provincial bailiwicks in the Visayas and Mindanao.
Duterte’s arrest and incarceration in the International Criminal Court Detention Centre bumped up emotional support for the two, as reflected in surveys done after the March 11 arrest.
Campaign and marketing strategist Alan German also picked Dela Rosa’s “Itaga Mo sa Bato” as being the best jingle in the 2025 senatorial elections.
Erwin Tulfo’s ‘Kakampi ng mga Inaapi’
The top winner of President Marcos’ Alyansa slate is broadcaster-Congressman Erwin Tulfo, representative of the Tulfos’ party list, Anti-Crime and Terrorism Community Involvement and Support or ACT-CIS Partylist, in the lower house.
His campaign slogan, “Kakampi ng mga inaapi” (An ally of the oppressed), reflects the message of the Tulfo brothers (Raffy, Erwin, and Ben) in their separate work as veteran journalists.
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The Tulfo brand of vigilante justice has its own dynamics, reflecting voters’ desire for quick solutions to their problems. It also indicates the electorate’s desire for strong leadership as the Tulfos often make themselves appear to be defenders of abused kasambahays, overseas Filipino workers, and women and children.
His short stint in the Marcos administration as social welfare secretary helped magnify the Tulfo brand, and ACT-CIS was an effective machinery for Erwin.
Based on pre-election surveys, he had been expected to place No. 1 or No. 2, and his fifth-place finish indicates that voters’ dissatisfaction with the current administration hurt his candidacy.
Kiko Pangilinan’s ‘Murang Pagkain’
Against the backdrop of high food prices in the first three years of the Marcos administration, Pangilinan’s message on food security catapulted him to a surprise fifth-place finish.
His green-themed campaign, as opposed to teammate Bam Aquino’s pink, complemented the fresh look of these two liberals.
Having “Megastar” Sharon as wife and celebrity relatives in his Pangilinan clan (led by his popular nephew, actor Donnie Pangilinan) who actively campaigned for him again showed the importance of personal machinery in an election campaign.
This strong family bond, and his image of being an underdog in the campaign given his limited ad spend, also contributed to his appeal. As one of his social media reels says: “Wala kaming malaking makinarya. Wala kaming bilyon-bilyong piso para sa kampanya. Ang meron kami, pamilya — pamilyang naninindigan para sa Diyos at isa’t isa sa Barangay Pangilinan.“
(We have no big machinery. We have no billions for our campaign. What we have is family — a family that stands up for God and for each other in Barangay Pangilinan.)
Another slogan that emphasized family said: “Ang turo sa amin ng tatang ko: Pamilya. Maaasahan. Masasandalan. Magtutulungan.” (My father taught us: Family is dependable. It can be leaned on, and they work together.)
The importance of family unity to voters is clearer in the loss of term-limited Makati Mayor Abby Binay, whose problematic family relations is well known. Binay’s husband, Congressman Luis Campos, lost to Abby’s sister Nancy in the Makati mayoral race.
Pangilinan also got endorsements from big-name celebrities, including Vice Ganda and Anne Curtis.
Vice Ganda’s interview with “ShaKiko” on YouTube got one million views on the comedian’s YouTube page.
Rodante Marcoleta’s ‘Sagip’
Although many people attribute Congressman Rodante Marcoleta’s surprise sixth-place finish to Duterte’s backing, the Solid South, and most especially, his religious group Iglesia Ni Cristo, a less visible factor in Marcoleta’s win is his leadership of SAGIP party-list, which he represents in the lower house. He first represented the urban poor advocate Alagad party-list group from 2004 to 2013.
SAGIP stands for Social Amelioration and Genuine Intervention on Poverty, and the word “sagip” means rescue.
“SAGIP Partylist! May puso’t malasakit (With love/heart and care)!” one of the party’s campaign slogan said.
SAGIP first won in 2013 or over a decade ago and now has a track record of providing aid to the masses. The party said it had given medical assistance to nearly 20,000 indigent patients, cash assistance to over 100,000 individuals in crisis situations, and financial assistance to around 23,000 college and vocational-technical scholars, among others.
SAGIP is poised to win another term in the house with Marcoleta’s son, Paolo Henry, as first nominee.
This personal machinery, plus the Iglesia Ni Cristo bloc voters and the Solid South, delivered a victory for Marcoleta.
THE LOWER HALF WINNERS
The rest of the winners in the senatorial race, from 7th to 12th place, are all established political brands, and voters chose them again.
Ping Lacson: ‘Hindi corrupt’
Ping Lacson has lost twice in presidential elections — once in 2004 and again in 2022 — but he has yet to lose in the senatorial elections. He is known for his anti-corruption stand.
Voters still remember him for his “No to kotong” (No to bribes) and “Walang pork barrel” (No to pork barrel) advocacies.
His slogans included “Hindi corrupt“ (Not corrupt), “Hindi mabubudol” (Won’t be fooled), and “Hindi magnanakaw” (Doesn’t steal). His long career in the police force and his successful anti-kidnapping campaign when he was chief of the Philippine National Police during the Estrada administration supported his strong leader image in the campaign.
His daughter-in-law, actress-TV personality Iwa Moto, was a tireless campaigner. She had an online video series, “Iwa Palengkera,” which shows her going around wet markets and asking ordinary folks why they support Lacson and why they should vote for him again.
Lacson’s campaign again delivered the message of how fighting corruption means more money going to public services rather than to private pockets.
Tito Sotto’s ‘Pamilyang Pilipino’
The Sotto brand is one of the longest among the current batch of winners as Vicente “Tito” Sotto III became a politician in Quezon City back in 1986 after the EDSA Revolution and had his first term as senator in 1992 — a race that he topped.
After his loss in the vice presidential race in 2022, placing third behind Sara Duterte and Kiko Pangilinan, he went back to co-hosting Eat Bulaga, the Philippines’ longest noon show, where the hosts make people happy through comedy, songs, and giveaway prizes to contestants in game shows. (READ: TVJ’s ‘Eat Bulaga’ and ABS-CBN’s ‘It’s Showtime’: The plight of Filipino content creators)
He is known as “Tito Sen,” whose messaging has consistently been pro-family: “Sotto: Maasahan ng Pamilyang Pilipino.” (Sotto: Filipino families can rely on him.)
Popular young actress-model and Eat Bulaga co-host Maine Mendoza, in her endorsement of Sotto, said: “Never late, never absent [in the Senate], ang senador na maaasahan ng pamilyang Pilipino.“ (Never late, never absent, the senator that the Filipino family can rely on.)
Aside from his Legit Dabarkads campaigners in Eat Bulaga, he is a member of the Catholic charismatic group Couples for Christ, an influential religious community. These are two key legs of his machinery, aside from his political party, the Nationalist People’s Coalition.
Pia Cayetano’s health and quality education advocacies
Cayetano is another old but still strong political brand. Pia Cayetano has served in the Senate for 18 years, with the avowed goal of “passing laws that truly uplift Filipino families.” It was started by her father, the late Rene “Compañero” Cayetano in the ’90s, and continued by Pia and her brother, incumbent Senator Alan Peter.
Pia’s message has been clear and consistent. As she stated in her post thanking those who again voted for her, her goal has been to help “women who juggle dual roles at home and at work; mothers who struggle to stretch their budget to cover their families’ needs; parents who dream of a better education for their children; families who fight for access to essential healthcare services — these stories are the heart of the policies I fight for, and have shaped my work in the Senate.”
She handled the health budget and was Senate health committee chair for nine years.
She pursued anti-tobacco legislation, backed sin tax laws, and supported the passage of a living wage, which she said, was a “lifeline for women, mothers, and families.”
She was the principal author and sponsor of Health Workers’ Day, a special working holiday every May 7 that recognizes the dedication of doctors, nurses, midwives, barangay health workers, and others in the medical community — one of the largest and widest constituencies in the Philippines.
She is a sports advocate, an avid runner, and a cyclist — an activity that has significantly grown post-pandemic. She is also a strong and visible supporter of her various teams in her alma mater, the University of the Philippines, where she once won a UAAP crown playing as a Lady Maroon in UP’s volleyball team.
Camille Villar’s ‘Bagong Boses Para sa Bagong Bukas’
The 2025 midterms will go down as one of the worst showing for the Villar brand, with term-limited Cynthia Villar losing in the Las Piñas congressional race and Camille Villar underperforming in the Senate race.
Despite massive ad spending in both traditional and social media, Camille placed only 10th, the same as her mother’s first Senate run in 2013. Her father Manny and brother Mark both placed higher in their senatorial bids. Cynthia even topped the Senate race in her second bid in the 2019 midterm elections. (READ: The rise of Cynthia Villar: How politics, money, networks made her No. 1)
The Villar brand has been synonymous with housing, given the roots of the Villar companies in real estate. It’s also associated with livelihood since her father started as an entrepreneur who rose to become the country’s richest individual.
As her camp trumpeted during the campaign, the Villar brand is “for housing, livelihood, and a bright future of every Filipino family.”
She highlighted the legislation she pushed in the lower house on health care, mental health, expansion of daycare centers, and pregnant women’s welfare.
Camille gave away seven low-cost houses prior to the start of the senatorial race via the Villars’ ALLTV, which uses ABS-CBN’s former Channel 2. The Commission on Elections issued her a show cause order for alleged vote buying in relation to her house raffle promo, but the poll body ruled that this happened on February 9, or prior to the start of the campaign period.
Her message of having a “bagong boses” or new voice in the Senate toward a “bagong bukas” (new tomorrow) was inconsistent with the fact that the Villars aren’t new at all.
The PrimeWater controversy also hurt her campaign in some areas, especially after the Marcos administration pushed for a probe into the poor water services of the Villar company.
Though she was part of the administration’s Alyansa slate, she distanced herself from it and got Sara Duterte to endorse her in the homestretch — a move that may have secured her then-apparent victory. Pre-election surveys had her in the very tight race for the last couple of seats. (READ: With survey numbers stagnant, Camille Villar tries to have ‘both sides’ in the 2025 elections)
Lito Lapid: Ang Supremo
The Lapid brand has a deep emotional connection with the masses, given Lito Lapid‘s long career in the film and television industry, where he played roles as defender of the poor and oppressed.
He rose to stardom in 1978, or nearly 50 years when he starred in the true-to-life film, The Jess Lapid Story, about his uncle Jess, a stuntman who rose to become a box-office action star.
He has managed to keep himself relevant to the younger generation of voters by appearing in the hit ABS-CBN teleserye, FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano, as villain-turned-hero Pinuno, and as Supremo or Primo in its successor series, FPJ’s Batang Quiapo.
In his 2025 campaign, he branded himself as “Supremo Senador Lito Lapid.”
Among the most viewed clips in his TikTok account are those where Coco Martin, actor-director of the two long-running teleseryes, shows his support and cites Lapid’s contributions to the public.
Coco Martin also endorsed him in a political ad that addresses allegations that Lapid has not achieved anything despite serving in the upper house for multiple terms already. Lapid is not an active participant in Senate debates and hearings.
In the ad, Coco Martin says, “Sabi nila, wala ka daw ginawa nung nakaupo ka sa Senado. Ano ang pinanindigan mo?” (They say you did nothing when you sat in the Senate. What did you uphold?)
The ad then lists the laws passed, such as Republic Act 9999 or the Lapid Law on free legal assistance.
Coco Martin goes on to say, “Ang sabi nila, ano ba ang magagawa ng isang action star?” (They say, what can an action star do?), and goes on to cite the recently passed Eddie Garcia law, which protects media workers.
The ad closes with Coco Martin asking how someone who failed to finish college can achieve anything, and Lito Lapid says: “Kung ako’y nakaahon, kaya ‘nyo rin. Kaya nating lumaban at umunlad.“ (If I can succeed, you can too. We can fight and thrive.)
Lapid has his own personal machinery that complemented being in the Alyansa slate. He provides assistance to the needy, marketed as “Tatak Lingkod Lapid” or Servant Lapid.
Imee Marcos’ ‘Imee Solusyon’
Were it not for a belated endorsement of Senator Imee Marcos by Vice President Sara Duterte, the eldest sister of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. may not have made it as the last placer in the senatorial race. It would have been a very embarrassing defeat given her massive and expensive media campaign in both traditional and social media. (READ: Are candidates funding their own campaigns? Camille Villar, Imee Marcos ads breach P1 billion)
Her “Imee Solusyon” (Imee Solution) was seen by a number of veteran strategists as a poor campaign message.
“She could have done a lot better with P1 billion. Kasi ‘yung ‘Imee Solusyon,’ it’s almost an afterthought, hindi nya kinontextualize ‘yon, hindi siya nagpakita ng pang-araw-araw na ehemplo o halimbawa of solutions being given to everyday problems ng mga Pilipino. It’s just her riding a boat, riding a vinta, nasa bukid, nasa may Mindanao, nasa may rice fields, tapos may, ‘Imee Solusyon.’ Sayang, sayang,” campaign stategist Alan German told Christian Esguerra’s Facts First podcast early in the national campaign.
(Because “Imee Solution,” it’s almost an afterthought, it’s not contextualized. It doesn’t show examples or solutions being given to everyday problems of Filipinos. It’s just riding a boat, riding a vinta, she’s on a farm, she’s in Mindanao, and there’s “Imee Solution.” What a waste.)
Unlike other candidates who projected a supportive family, Imee’s split from her brother made it a hard sell campaign to Filipino voters who value close family relations.
LESSONS FROM DEFEATS
Ben ‘Bitag’ Tulfo
The loss of broadcast journalist Ben Tulfo — in 13th place with 12 million votes or around 1.2 million less than 12th placer Imee Marcos — shows how susceptible an independent, lone wolf election campaign can be.
Although he was in the safe upper half of the pre-election surveys, superior campaign machineries of Villar, Lapid, and Marcos in the homestretch, as well as the unexpected turnout of voters for Aquino, Pangilinan, and Marcoleta, pushed the brother of Senator Raffy Tulfo and Senator-elect Erwin out of the Magic 12.
Francis ‘Tol’ Tolentino
The loss of administration candidate Francis “Tol” Tolentino, whose principal message in the campaign was opposition to China’s aggressive moves in the West Philippine Sea, did not tug at the hearts of Filipino voters. He trumpeted the passage of Republic Act 12064 or the Philippine Maritime Zones Act, branded as “Tolentino Law,” but it did not resonate with Filipino families. His shifting loyalties — he supported the late president Noynoy Aquino, shifted to Rodrigo Duterte, and now to Marcos — may have also played a role. He placed a poor 25th in the race despite being in the administration ticket.
Most analysts attributed the unexpected defeats of Bong Revilla (his first loss), Abby Binay, and the loss of celebrity candidates such as Phillip Salvador and Willie Revillame to young voters who are against dynastic politics.
But in the absence of an exit poll of the 2025 elections, which would have asked respondents their age, sex, educational attainment, religion, etc., Social Weather Stations chairman Mahar Mangahas, in his latest column, said: “The GenZ hypothesis is but a guess without statistics.” – Rappler.com
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