Cebu Gov. Garcia backs Kiko; Vice Ganda endorses Bam

Cebu governor Gwen Garcia has endorsed the 2025 Senate comeback bid of former Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan.

Garcia made the endorsement late Tuesday night ahead of Pangilinan’s campaign rally in Cebu, saying it is rooted in long-standing friendship.

“He really went out of his way to greet me and to say hello. How are you? give my regards to Pablo John. I was so touched by that gesture,” Garcia said during a gathering of barangay captains and mayors of Cebu province’s fifth and sixth districts.

“Diyan mo talaga makikita kung anong klaseng tao siya,” she added.

(That shows what kind of a person Senator Kiko is.)

Cebu has the most number of registered voters in the country, at over 3.4 million, based on Commission on Elections (Comelec) records.

Garcia’s local party, One Cebu, earlier endorsed the 10 administration bets under President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s Alyansa ng Bagong Pilipinas ticket namely:

• Former Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos
• Senator Bong Revilla, Jr.
• Former Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson
• Makati Mayor Abby Binay
• Former Senator Manny Pacquiao
• Former Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III
• Senator Lito Lapid
• ACT-CIS party-list Erwin Tulfo
• Senator Francis Tolentino and
• Senator Pia Cayetano. 

The lone Alyansa Senate bet that the Garcia-led One Cebu did not support was Las Piñas Representative Camille Villar, sister of Senator Mark Villar and daughter of Senator Cynthia Villar.

Bam Aquino

As this developed, former Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV also won the support of celebrity and actor Vice Ganda as well as Lanao del Norte officials this week.

Vice Ganda described Aquino as intelligent and someone who would always stand for what is right.

In addition, Aquino has also secured the backing of Lanao del Norte Governor Angging Quibranza-Dimaporo, Lanao del Norte First District Rep. Khalid Dimaporo, Lanao del Norte Vice Governor Allan Lim, and Lanao del Norte Provincial Board Member Cristy Navarro-Atay.

In response, Aquino thanked the parties for their endorsements and vowed to work on increasing the budget for the Free College law, of which he is one of the authors. —VAL, GMA Integrated News

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