Marcos’ 2025 Senate bets kick off polls with show of force in bailiwick

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President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s anointed candidates includes re-electionists, Senate-comeback aspirants, and the children of old names in Philippine politics

ILOCOS NORTE, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s new role as chief campaigner of his anointed candidates kicks off in his political bailiwick in the north on Tuesday, February 11, start of the 90-day campaign period for national candidates in the 2025 elections.

The Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas (literally, Alliance for a New Philippines) will be holding its opening salvo at the Centennial Arena in Laoag, Ilocos Norte. 

The coalition and Marcos are then set to hold major rallies throughout the week in Visayas, Mindanao, and finally in Metro Manila to close a jampacked week of activities for the administration’s 12-person slate. 

Ilocos Norte is neither strategic nor vote-rich — but it is the base of the powerful Marcos clan’s political power. Marcos’ home province is where he served as governor for three straight terms from 1998 to 2007. Marcos’ father, the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos, also once represented the province in Congress.

In the 2022 presidential election, Marcos dominated in Ilocos Norte, getting 356,221 out of 380,721 votes cast for president. 

Marcos’ eldest son Sandro represents the province’s first district. Relatives also dominate local politics — from the governor who is his nephew to other relatives who occupy seats at the provincial and municipal levels.  

In a release, the coalition said Marcos will be “making the case for continuity and stability under his leadership.” 

“Bagong Pilipinas” has been the administration’s catchphrase. It’s a line that is reminiscent of the “Bagong Lipunan” (literally, New Society) slogan of the President’s father, the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos. 

Alyansa campaign manager Toby Tiangco, speaking to media ahead of the campaign kick off, said they hope to secure a 12-0 win to aid the President’s agenda for the last half of his six-year term.  

“The decision to launch in Ilocos Norte highlights the administration’s strategy of consolidating support in its bailiwicks while signaling confidence as the campaign gains momentum,” said the coalition in its release. 

Marcos’ anointed candidates includes re-electionists, Senate-comeback aspirants, and the children of old names in Philippine politics: 

• Former Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos 
• Makati City Mayor Abby Binay
• Re-electionist Senator Pia Cayetano
• Re-electionist Senator Imee Marcos
• Re-electionist Senator Lito Lapid
• Former senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson 
• Former senator Manny Pacquiao
• Former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.
• Former senate president Vicente “Tito” Sotto III
• Re-electionist Senator Francis Tolentino
• Former Social Welfare Secretary and ACT-CIS Representative Erwin Tulfo
• Deputy Speaker Camille Villar. 

In 2025, Ilocos Norte has 434,114 registered voters. But Marcos’ traditional bailiwick extends beyond Ilocos Norte and into nearby provinces in the northern Philippines, often collectively called the “Solid North.”

The ‘winnable’ 10 

Of the 12 Senate bets, 10 were among the “winnable” 14 in the last Pulse Asia senatorial preference survey. Tulfo, a brother of Senator Raffy Tulfo, has consistently topped pre-election polling.

Only two candidates of the administration were not in Pulse Asia’s list of “winnable” candidates, or those who had the best statistical chances to win if the elections were held in late January 2025 when the survey was undertaken. 

Abalos, who was Marcos’ 2022 campaign manager, ranked 16-18 in the latest Pulse Asia poll, while Tolentino ranked 19-21. 

But among the biggest gainers in the latest Pulse Asia survey was Senator Marcos, the older sister of the President. She gained 5.8-percentage points compared to the Pulse Asia survey held in November 2024. The older Marcos, like her ading (younger sibling in Ilokano), was also once governor of Ilocos Norte. 

Even if Senator Marcos officially announced her withdrawal from the slate, Tiangco has said that they would not replace her slot. Senator Marcos is also expected to join the slate in Laoag.

– Rappler.com