Returning senator Bam Aquino on Saturday thanked the Filipino youth for helping him clinch his Senate victory.

In his speech, Aquino recalled past surveys where he consistently ranked outside the Top 12, but credited his eventual win to the youth, who he believes "campaigned hard for him."

"Dahil po sa sipag at tiyaga ng napakaraming kabataan na nagsuporta, lumabas, nagsalita, nag-post, nag-house-to-house kaya po umabot tayo dito (It is because of the hard work and perseverance of so many young people who supported, came out, spoke, posted on social media, and went house-to-house that we reached this point)," Aquino said.

"At sa kabataang Pilipino, lubos-lubos po ang pasasalamat natin. Ang binigay niyo pong mandato, hindi po sasayangin... Sisiguraduhin na ang reporma sa edukasyon magkakaroon ng trabaho at pag-angat ng ating kapwa Pilipino (And to the Filipino youth, I am deeply grateful. The mandate you have given me will not be wasted... I will ensure that education reform will create jobs and uplift our fellow Filipinos)," he added.

Aquino officially secured his political comeback in the Senate after receiving a total of 20,971,899 votes, ranking second spot behind topnotcher Sen. Christopher "Bong" Go.

He was a senator from 2013 to 2019, but failed to win his re-election bid in 2019 midterm polls under the "Otso Diretso" slate, placing 14th overall with over 14 million votes.

During the 2022 national elections, Aquino did not run for any elective position and instead served as then-presidential candidate Leni Robredo's campaign manager.