MANILA — Former Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo acknowledged a shift in the political winds following the surprising victories of Senator-elects Bam Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan in the 2025 midterm elections, crediting their success to the support of Gen Z and millennial voters.
In an interview with the Bilyonaryo News Channel (BNC), Panelo said that the younger generation played a crucial role in the electoral triumph of the two opposition figures.
“Sa tingin ko, si Bam Aquino at si Kiko Pangilinan, kaya nakapasok yan because of the Gen Z and millennial voters, because these are the people who are educated,” Panelo stated.
Panelo also praised the two senators-elect for maintaining clean public service records.
“Infairness to the two, wala naman silang record ng corruption – si Bam saka si Pangilinan,” he added.
Despite being a known Duterte ally, Panelo admitted he did not vote straight for the PDP-Laban’s Team Duter10 slate.
“Each one of us has panukatan na tinatawag, we measure candidates on the basis of their record, credibility, reputasyon nila, eh may mga di nakapasa sa akin because i know them personally,” he explained, though he declined to name specific candidates he did not support.
Meanwhile, Panelo took a jab at former Presidential Spokesperson Atty. Harry Roque, urging him to return to the Philippines and face the arrest warrant issued in connection with his alleged involvement in illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO) in Porac, Pampanga last year.
Panelo dismissed Roque’s request for political asylum in the Netherlands, saying the former official’s case is unlikely to qualify as political persecution.
“Roque’s credibility will be further damaged if he avoids due process,” Panelo stressed.
Roque has yet to release a statement addressing Panelo’s remarks.