MANILA, Philippines — Voters will have many “alternatives” to choose from the senatorial candidates for the 2025 elections, senatorial aspirant Roy Cabonegro said on Friday.
According to Cabonegro, voters must allow these bets to prove themselves to hold public office.
“More than one-third na tumatakbo ngayon sa Senate ay relatively alternative or alternative talaga so maraming mapagpipilian. Bigyan lamang ng pagkakataon,” Cabonegro said in a forum.
(More than one-third of those running for the Senate are relatively the alternatives, so there are many choices to choose from. Just give us the chance.)
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) released the partial list of senatorial candidates for the 2025 elections on Wednesday, and the list includes reelectionists, progressives, names from prominent political dynasties, and those gunning for a Senate comeback.
READ: Comelec releases initial list of 66 bets for 2025 Senate race
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“Sa amin, fair game lang… ilagay niyo kami sa debate kasama ng mga dose na ito at ibabagsak namin ‘yang mga ‘yan sa usapin lang ng agenda… Yun lang, mananalo na kami,” Cabonegro added.
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(To us, it’s a fair game… Put us in debates alongside these 12, and we’ll bring them down just through the agenda alone… That’s it and we will win.)
The Comelec previously said it is open to public debates before the 2025 elections. However, its chairman George Garcia said such debates must be organized by media entities, and the poll body would “just be there to supervise and coordinate with the candidates.”
The senatorial aspirant also said that candidates’ campaign funds should come from people who will vote for them.
“Naniniwala kami na ang dapat na pumopondo sa mga tumatakbo ay ‘yung mga gustong bumoto sa kanila, hindi ang kandidato,” Cabonegro stated.
(We believe that those funding the candidates should be the voters who want to support them, not the candidates themselves.)
Cabonegro, who also ran for Senate in the 2022 elections, shared that his supporters spent P120,000 for his campaign. He also said that he did not spend a single peso in financing his bid.
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Cabonegro placed 46th in the 2022 senatorial race, garnering over 870,000 votes. He ran under the slate of Partido Lakas ng Masa.