THE senatorial candidates of the administration’s “Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas” will kick off this month’s campaign with a grand rally in Antipolo City in Rizal, the country’s seventh most vote-rich province which they regard as a “rising political stronghold in Luzon.”
Navotas City Rep. Toby Tiangco, the campaign manager of the Alyansa ticket, said the launch of this month’s campaign in the province shows the coalition’s “focus on provinces that help determine national election outcomes.”
“Rizal is a powerhouse. Its growth, its numbers, and its voter turnout show that this is where national momentum is built,” said the lawmaker, who is seeking reelection in the May midterm elections.
As the provincial capital and lone component city, Alyansa said, Antipolo is expected to draw thousands of supporters at the Ynares Center “and energize Alyansa’s message of unity, development, and competent leadership.”
The rally will feature province-wide mobilizations, youth engagement activities, and coordination with Rizal’s local leaders.
The slate noted that Rizal delivered 765,019 votes for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in 2022, more than twice the votes of his closest rival, former vice president Leni Robredo.
It said Rizal, with over 1.67 million registered voters and a turnout rate of 81.03 percent, “stands as a crucial battleground that could significantly influence the outcome of the May midterm elections.”
Tiangco said that Alyansa’s approach “is rooted in performance and proven leadership that complements the development agenda of President Marcos Jr.”
“Our candidates are doers. They’ve delivered. When you combine that with infrastructure and economic vision of President Bongbong Marcos, Rizaleños will see a team truly worth supporting,” he said.
The members of the administration’s 11-man senatorial slate are reelectionist Senators Lito Lapid, Francis Tolentino, Pia Cayetano, and Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.; former senators Vicente Sotto III, Panfilo Lacson and Manny Pacquiao; Reps. Erwin Tulfo (PL, ACT-CIS) and Camille Villar of Las Piñas City; Makati City mayor Abigail Binay, and former Interior secretary and Mandaluyong city mayor Benhur Abalos.
Presidential sister Sen. Imee Marcos has already been officially dropped from the slate after she decided to withdraw from the alliance.
Tiangco said Rizal “represents the new face of the Filipino electorate, one that is urban, working-class and driven by results.”
“Rizal is young, fast-growing, and full of potential. Alyansa is here to offer leadership that matches that energy and ambition,” he said.
Also yesterday, Villar thanked Pangasinan Gov. Ramon Juico III and the candidates of Team Aguila for endorsing her senatorial bid during the proclamation rally in Bolinao on Wednesday evening.
She particularly mentioned Vice Gov. Mark Lambino and her colleagues in Congress, Reps. Arthur Celeste (Pangasinan) and Rep. Bobby Estrella (PL, Abono) for their warm welcome during the rally.
Villar vowed to continue supporting infrastructure projects and help agriculture in Pangasinan, saying she will continue to prioritize helping the province just the way her mother, Sen, Cynthia Villar, and her brother, Sen. Mark Villar, have been doing in terms of infrastructure, agriculture and farming.
