Winners proclaimed

Former Sen. Kiko Pangilinan, who completes the "Kiko-Bam" campaign, also defied expectations, finishing fifth with 15.34 million votes.

- 

In pre-election surveys, Pangilinan lagged behind Aquino, ranking around 15th, which was well outside the cutoff.

Placing third in the senatorial race was Sen. Bato dela Rosa, who garnered 20.77 million votes. He was just about 200,000 short of overtaking Aquino.

Before entering the Senate in 2019, Dela Rosa served as former President Rodrigo Duterte’s police chief and was widely known as the chief architect of the administration’s war on drugs through “Project Double Barrel” or “Oplan Tokhang.”

Dela Rosa has long worked closely with Go, particularly during the Duterte administration when Go served as the president’s special assistant, earning him the moniker “SAP Bong Go.”

ALYANSA BETS' PERFORMANCE

Meanwhile, the administration’s top-performing senatorial candidate, Rep. Erwin Tulfo (ACT-CIS), placed fourth with 17.12 million votes. He is the brother of Sen. Raffy Tulfo, who topped the Senate race in 2022.