MANILA, Philippines — Former Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan will run in the upcoming 2025 midterm elections in a bid to return to the upper chamber of Congress.
Pangilinan’s candidacy was unanimously approved by the Liberal Party’s (LP) national executive council meeting held at Club Filipino in San Juan City on Friday.
“I am humbled by the nomination and the trust and support that you have given me,” he said in his acceptance speech.
Pangilinan served as senator from 2001 to 2013 and from 2016 to 2022.
Pangilinan was the running mate of former Vice President Leni Robredo in the 2022 elections, where he ran for vice president and she ran for president.
Robredo and Pangilinan came in second to now President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte.
Pangilinan said the LP should learn from its experience in the 2022 national polls.
“What happened in the last elections only means that our defeat, or our setback, is really not a failure, as I said, it was only a delay,” Pangilinan said.
“Thus, in the coming days, we shall build on the gains of the last election campaign,” he added.
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For her part, Robredo will gun for the mayoral post in Naga City, LP executive vice president Erin Tañada earlier announced.
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“The election results may not have been to our liking, but I will always remember the word of a political scientist from the University of the Philippines and a professor, when the election results came out. BBM (Marcos) and Sara may have won the elections, but Leni and Kiko captured the hearts and minds of the people,” Pangilinan said.