Senatorial candidates Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan and Bam Aquino officially launched their 2025 election campaign on Tuesday with a Holy Mass at the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice, attended by volunteers and supporters.

The event also served as a volunteer campaign launch, with former Vice President Leni Robredo in attendance to endorse both candidates.

Pangilinan was Robredo’s running mate in the 2022 presidential and vice presidential elections, while Aquino served as their campaign manager.

Pangilinan prioritizes food security, inflation

Pangilinan said he is seeking a return to the Senate to push for policies that will address rising food prices and inflation.

“One of the reasons why we decided to run again for the Senate is because of the high prices of goods and food,” Pangilinan told reporters in a chance interview after the Mass.

He emphasized that reducing rice prices and curbing inflation is possible with effective government action.

“Our first call will be to investigate why food prices are high and what the executive department should do to address this,” he said.

Pangilinan open to working with Marcos admin.

Although a member of the Liberal Party, Pangilinan is running as an independent candidate and said he is willing to set aside political affiliations to work with the administration.

“We will set aside our political affiliations because hunger knows no color, and in order for the executive and legislative branches to work together to fix and solve the high prices of goods,” he said.

Meanwhile, Aquino reiterated his commitment to education reforms, vowing to strengthen existing programs and address flaws in the K-12 system.

“We will continue the reforms in education and further strengthen the establishment of free education and secure jobs,” he said.

Aquino was the principal sponsor and co-author of RA 10931, or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, which provides free tuition in state universities and colleges.

He also pledged to amend the K-12 law (RA 10533), which extended basic education from 10 to 12 years, saying it has failed to fulfill its promise of improving employment opportunities for graduates.

“It is really necessary to reform K-12. The promise of K-12 is that when you graduate from grade 12 and don't attend college, you can already get a job. We all know it did not happen,” Aquino said.