Independent senatorial candidates Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan and Bam Aquino are counting on the support of Panay Island electorates as they seek a return to the Senate in the upcoming May midterm elections.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Iloilo City, a known Liberal Party bailiwick, Pangilinan and Aquino expressed confidence that Panay Island will support their comeback bid in the Senate.

“My analysis is that there are three to four candidates that are always topping the surveys, but the spots below that remain free for all. We are not yet one third into this campaign,” Aquino said, addressing recent pre-election surveys that placed them in the 13-16 bracket.

He urged their supporters to actively campaign for them, rather than just voting.

“We believe that if the people on the ground move, our spots in the survey will improve as well. What we saw in the 2022 elections, for example, the people volunteered for Leni and Kiko in their campaign, especially here in Iloilo. We want to see people come out again,” he said.

For his part, Pangilinan said that while pre-election surveys are an indication of the voters’ current choices, they can still change as the elections are still over two months away.

According to him, a recent survey showed that the majority of Filipinos prefer a senator who would champion food security and agriculture, which were both at the top of his priorities when he was a senator.

“Many Filipinos might not yet be aware that we are running—perhaps due to misinformation or a lack of resources. Unlike our competitors, we don’t have billions to spend on TV and radio ads. We just have to bring that message and I think we will gain more support as the campaign unfolds,” he said. 

Panay Island

Citing the results of previous elections in Panay Island, Pangilinan and Aquino described the sixth-largest and fourth-most populous island in the country as a “dependable bailiwick.”

Panay Island is comprised of the provinces of Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan, Antique, and Guimaras, which provided strong electoral support for Pangilinan, Aquino, and former Vice President Leni Robredo in previous elections.

To recall, Pangilinan decided to abandon his reelection bid in the Senate in 2022 when he chose to be Robredo’s running mate, while Aquino served as their campaign manager.

Robredo handily won Panay Island in the 2016 vice-presidential race, with a lead of almost one million votes. In the 2022 presidential elections, she won 47.90 percent of the votes in the region.

Pangilinan, for his part, garnered 36.06 percent, or 1,398,752 votes, in Western Visayas in the 2022 vice-presidential race.

Aquino also performed well in the 2019 senatorial elections, consistently ranking among the top four in Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, and Iloilo—underscoring his strong voter base in the region.

Panay’s political heavyweights backing

Panay Island is home to some of Aquino and Pangilinan’s most influential allies, including former Senate President Franklin Drilon and Senator Risa Hontiveros, both from Iloilo City.

Drilon and Hontiveros have endorsed Aquino’s Senate bid, highlighting his legislative track record, which includes authoring 50 laws during his first term from 2013 to 2019.

The two Ilonggo leaders also vouched for Pangilinan’s extensive experience as a lawmaker, having authored and co-authored nearly 300 laws, including Republic Act No. 11321, or the Sagip Saka Act, and Republic Act No. 11524, or the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act.