Former senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan made a surprise return to the top ranks of the 2025 senatorial race after initially trailing in pre-election surveys, climbing to fifth place in the Commission on Elections’ partial and unofficial tally as of Tuesday morning.

“It was a good kind of sleepless night, and an even better way to wake up,” Pangilinan said in a radio interview following what he seen as unexpected surge.

Just over a week before election day, surveys placed Pangilinan as low as 17th. His rapid rise on election night came as a shock even to him.

“Even I was surprised,” he said. “At one point, I was aiming for 12th and told myself I’d be happy with that. A few days later, I said 13th is okay, just not 17.”

Results that began coming in around 7:30 p.m. on election day showed Pangilinan in fifth. “With all the fake news thrown at me, I asked myself — what if this is fake news too?” he said.

Final push credited

Pangilinan attributed his strong finish to a final-week push that involved endorsements and campaigning in key provinces.

“During the last week, we really went all out,” he said. “We had endorsements from Cebu, Cavite, BARMM, Quezon City, and support from influencers. We had political endorsements, celebrity endorsements, and of course, our message resonated — that we’re running for the Filipino people who still believe there’s hope for the Philippines.”

He also cited the persistent challenge of disinformation.

“I think I’m summa cum laude when it comes to bashing and disinformation,” he said. “But by the grace of God, the people can now tell the difference between lies and truth. And we chose to stay truthful.”

'A shared victory'

Pangilinan expressed gratitude to his wife Sharon Cuneta, their family, and volunteers.

“This is a shared victory. It was a team effort,” he said.

He also said he spoke with Vice President Leni Robredo and Senators Bam Aquino and Risa Hontiveros the night before.

“Bam’s win gave people hope again,” Pangilinan said. “Now the dreams of the Filipino people are on our shoulders, and we must not let them down.”

He added: “Thank you to our fellow Filipinos, to everyone who stood with us. This victory is different when it’s the people themselves who are betting on you.”

As of writing, Pangilinan holds fifth place with 12,300,198 votes, based on Comelec’s partial and unofficial count.