By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos
MANILA – The apparent election victory of at least six senatorial candidates of the Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas shows public support for the Marcos administration’s vision for a New Philippines where progress thrives, the coalition’s campaign manager said on Tuesday.
Alyansa’s campaign manager, Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco, said Filipinos’ vote for the administration-backed Senate slate affirms the alliance’s shared commitment to continue the country’s economic gains and preserve the momentum of growth.
“We view this as a clear signal to move forward with greater urgency and focus, guided by the aspirations of our people and committed to addressing the issues that concern them the most,” Tiangco said.
Tiangco said the objective of the Alyansa campaign was to rally support for the election of its senatorial candidates “who could bring their competence and experience to the Senate.”
He added that the Alyansa’s senatorial candidates seek to help the administration in sustaining its efforts to uplift the Filipinos’ welfare.
“In this regard, we consider the victory of most of our candidates a vote of confidence in the Bagong Pilipinas (New Philippines) vision of progress where all Filipinos can live better lives with real economic opportunities for all,” Tiangco said.
Six of 11 senatorial candidates endorsed by no less than President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. dominated the Senate race, according to the partial and unofficial results from the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) transparency servers.
Outgoing ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo was the top pick among the Alyansa bets, placing fourth with 16,802,731 votes, as of 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Former senator Panfilo Lacson secured the seventh spot with 14,847,559 votes, followed by former senate president Vicente Sotto III at eighth place with 14,558,679 votes.
Re-electionist Senator Pia placed ninth with 14,297,029 votes, while outgoing Las Piñas Lone District Camille Villar landed in the 10th spot with 13,348,959 votes.
The last Alyansa candidate who made it to the so-called Magic 12 was re-electionist Senator Lito Lapid with 13,107,963 votes. (PNA)
