Don’t be surprised if you spot incumbent senators or aspiring national politicians suddenly mingling in with local politicians here in Laguna province. With the 2025 midterm elections just over a year away, aspiring politicos have made it a point to (subtly) woo voters in what is considered to be one of the large “balwarte” for votes here in the Philippines.
Bong Go, Imee Marcos frequent visitors
Two incumbent senators – and, may we point out, two of the top “senatoriables” in recent surveys – have been making frequent visits to the province in the past months.
Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, for instance, is never far from sight of Lagunenses as he has made several appearances with the province’s top officials.
Last February 26, for instance, Go personally graced the 100th anniversary of the Laguna Medical Center in Santa Cruz, where he also visited the newly-renovated Malasakit Center inside the facility.
The Malasakit Center is one of Go’s landmark projects, and Laguna province, notably, currently hosts two such centers in Santa Cruz and San Pablo City.
Go’s most recent visit to Laguna province was in Luisiana, where he attended the town’s 25th Pandanan Festival and personally distributed aid to 500 displaced families.
Another incumbent senator and strong senatoriable, Senator Imee Marcos, has also been making the rounds in the province in the past week.
Notwithstanding her apparent disagreements with her brother, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., Senator Imee is clearly leveraging the magic and strength of the Marcos name as she led the distribution of financial assistance under the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/ Displaced Workers (TUPAD) of the Department of Labor and Employment's (DOLE) and other government programs in various parts of the province.
Marcos, along with Senator Mark Villar, also graced the Laguna Business Stakeholders Convention and Innovation Summit held last March 16, as part of the province’s Anilag (Ani ng Laguna Festival).
Other ‘senatoriables’
Speaking of the Villars, it’s becoming clear that the billionaire family is clearly planning to strengthen its hold in the country’s political scene, especially as the term of its “matriarch,” Senator Cynthia Villar, is set to expire in 2025.
Not only is Senator Mark Villar’s presence during the Anilag Festival an indication of the family’s future plans, but also the sudden proliferation of posters of his sister, Las Piñas Representative Camille Villar, not just in Laguna province but elsewhere is another notable sign.
Meanwhile, Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla – another among the list of voters’ top picks in surveys – has also slowly begun making his presence felt to Lagunenses.
One notable sign is the presence of his wife, Cavite 2nd Representative Lani Mercado, during the "Kababaihan Fest” organized by Biñan City Representative Len Alonte last March 22.
Vote-rich province
Political analysts say this sudden interest among senatoriables in Laguna province isn’t that surprising, given the province’s reputation as one of the most “vote-rich” provinces in the Philippines.
Data from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) showed the province had 2,045,687 registered voters during the 2022 presidential elections, when the province carried President Bongbong Marcos.
In fact, if other senatoriables – including the leading candidate, ACT-CIS Partylist Representative Erwin Tulfo, according to OCTA Research – haven’t visited Laguna province yet, they soon will, according to analysts.
“Malayo pa ang eleksyon, pero asahan na natin na mas bibisitahin pa tayo ng mga nais maging senador,” one analyst who spoke on condition of anonymity told OpinYon Laguna. “In fact, ngayon pa lang ay dapat nang gamitin ng mga botante ang pagkakataon na makilatis nang maigi ang kanilang mga nais na maging tagagawa ng batas upang masiguro na magiging sulit ang kanilang boto sa susunod na taon.”
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