Former Senator Koko Pimentel described the victories of Senators Bam Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan in the 2025 midterm elections as the most remarkable political development he has witnessed.
In a one-on-one interview with Kapamilya journalist Karmina Constantino, Pimentel said their wins prove that voters no longer base their decisions solely on pre-election survey rankings.
It will be recalled that Aquino ranked second and Pangilinan placed fifth in the Commission on Elections’ final and official count, defying pre-election surveys where both were outside the “winning circle.”
“I was rooting for them, hoping for them to win but the surveys predicted they would lose, 13-14 ata or 12-13 but they ended up 2nd and 5th ata,” Pimentel said.
Pimentel credited the youth vote for their victories, noting it as a sign of optimism for the country’s political future.
“Anong segment of society ba ‘yun? The analysts say that’s the youth vote so if that is now the youth vote—there’s hope, there’s hope,” he added.
The former senator also confirmed that he is pursuing his case before the Supreme Court seeking the cancellation of the voter registration of Marikina City 1st District Representative Marcy Teodoro.
While respecting the decision of voters in Marikina’s first district, Pimentel stressed his intention to uphold the “rule of law.” He questioned Teodoro’s sudden transfer of voter registration from District 2 to District 1, which had been upheld by the Commission on Elections.
“That was really a legal or constitutional issue because it’s about the eligibility of the only candidate to file but he filed before me,” Pimentel explained.
“So I saw that when he filed sabi ko, this is an ineligible candidate,” he added.
Pimentel lost his congressional bid for Marikina’s 1st District to Teodoro in the 2025 elections.