Philippine Midterm Elections: Surprises Emerge Amid Unofficial Results

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s allies are poised to capture at least half of the Senate seats in the ongoing midterm elections, providing a potential boost to his political agenda.

With polls closing at 7 p.m. local time, voters have been casting ballots for over 18,000 positions, including the Senate, House of Representatives, and local offices. As of 10:37 p.m., unofficial tallies revealed that Francisco ‘Isko’ Moreno Domagoso has reclaimed the Manila mayoralty, receiving over 547,000 votes. His nearest rival, Honey Lacuna, gathered fewer than 196,000 votes.

Moreno’s campaign highlighted his previous term’s achievements, promising to ‘make Manila great again.’ Meanwhile, former vice president Leni Robredo is expected to win the mayoralty of Naga City, marking her return to local politics after her 2022 presidential defeat.

Surprisingly, Robredo’s former allies, Bam Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan, are positioned well in the Senate race, initially not predicted to land within the top ranks by surveys. This unexpected twist complicates Marcos’s ambitions for Senate control as he seeks to fortify his political influence.

In the Senate race, Christopher ‘Bong’ Go is leading with approximately 16 million votes, followed by Aquino and Pangilinan, which hints at a shift in voter preferences. However, the count remains unofficial, and as more votes are aggregated, the outlook might evolve further.

In Davao City, former president Rodrigo Duterte is expected to dominate the mayoralty election despite facing legal issues internationally. With the unofficial results showing him with over 500,000 votes against his closest rival’s 60,000, his political stronghold remains intact.

The Commission on Elections reported that approximately 60% of votes have been counted, but no official details were yet available on their distribution. Unofficial results indicate a significant turnout of voters, despite challenges such as high temperatures impacting the voting process.

Election monitoring organization NAMFREL has launched an initiative for the public to follow the election results independently. Voters can scan QR codes posted outside polling stations to verify election returns.

As the night progresses, many are awaiting clearer indicators of which candidates will solidify their positions amid this election cycle marked by unprecedented dynamics.