MANILA - President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. unveiled Thursday his senatorial slate a week before Comelec opens the filing of candidacies for the 2025 midterm elections.

The following 12-man lineup was unveiled by Marcos during an Alyansa ng Bagong Pilipinas event, an electoral alliance which involves five political parties. Notably, a couple of 2022 presidential candidates are also on Marcos' list.

Re-electionists and returnees banner the senatorial slate, headlined by Marcos Jr.'s sister Imee and former Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III. Imee is seeking a second straight term in the Senate.

Sotto, now 76, served as Senate President from 2018 up until the end of his term in 2022. He ran for Vice President in the 2022 National Elections but lost to Sara Duterte.

Joining Sotto and Imee are former senators Panfilo "Ping" Lacson and boxing legend Manny Pacquiao. Re-electionists such as former actors Lito Lapid and Bong Revilla, Pia Cayetano, and Francis Tolentino are included in the lineup. Imee Marcos, Bong Revilla and Francis Tolentino are notably from the UniTeam banner during the 2022 National Elections.

Abby Binay, Camille Villar, Erwin Tulfo, and DILG chief Benhur Abalos III are seeking first terms in the Senate. Abby Binay, the sister of Sen. Nancy Binay, is currently on her 3rd and last term as a Makati mayor, while Camille Villar, the daughter of senator Cynthia Villar, is Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The alliance will involve members of the following parties: Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, Lakas-CMD, Nationalist People’s Coalition, Nacionalista Party, and National Unity Party

Sen. Marcos was the only slate member absent during the event.

In his speech, Marcos Jr. vouched for the candidates, saying: “Marami tayong sanay at hasa sa serbisyo publiko.”

“Sa aking pag-endorso, ang tanging hiling ko ay mapanatili ang kanilang katapatan at pagmamahal sa bansa. Ito ang pinakamahalagang katangian ng kandidato na aking tinitignan at pinag-iisipan,” he said.

ADMIN SUPPORT, WINNABILITY

Meanwhile, in an earlier interview, the coalition’s campaign manager, Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco said that the biggest consideration in choosing members of the senatorial lineup was the candidate’s support for the President’s legislative agenda.

“Syempre kung sino ang susuporta sa programa ng ating Pangulo, syempre yun ang pipiliin natin, yung mga susupport sa legislative agenda natin,” Tiangco said.

“Huwag muna ang winnability, ang importante dito ay ang susuporta sa legislative agenda. Kasi kung winnable naman tapos iba naman ang paniwala nila sa mga batas na dapat isuporta sa Presidente, syempre hindi naman nating pwedeng kunin just for convenience,” he added.

Secretary Benhur Abalos said he was ready to resign as DILG chief when he files his candidacy for the Senate race next week.

“Yes. I have to resign. Ito ay nasa batas. Siguro at the day of the filing, magrer-esign na po ako,” Abalos told reporters, adding that he would wrap up his work at the DILG ahead of the filing.

"I probably only have one week or one and half week or two weeks at the most. But after this ira-wrap up ko na lang yung mga trabaho sa DILG but siguro maski papaano naman si Alice Guo naman nahuli natin. Si Pastor Quiboloy nahuli natin. Si Jodi Mejia yung sex predator nahuli natin. Yung kay Teves, siya ay nasa Timor Leste, legal na lang ito at maibabalik na po iyan. May demanda siya. Si Bantag iyon nalang po. At yung alam ko medyo maganda yung development kay Bantag,” he said.

Abalos said the President was considering several names as his replacement.

“Well I have heard of several names na papalit po sa akin. Siguro di ko lang po puwede sabihin dahil naririnig ko lang naman. Pero nasa Pangulo na po ito,” he said.

BINAY CAMPAIGNING WITH CAYETANO

Makati Mayor Abby Binay says she does not have any issue with campaigning alongside Senator Pia Cayetano despite the territorial dispute between their families’ bailiwicks Makati and Cayetano over the jurisdiction of EMBO barangays.

“I agreed to join the alliance because of the President. Sino naman ako para magsabi kung sino ang gusto ko makasama at kung sino yung di ko gusto ko makasama. So I am here to support the projects and the projects of the President. Kung sino po yung kasama ko hindi po ako ang pumili sa kanila,” Binay told reporters.

“I have no issue. Wala naman akong issue kay Senator Pia. I hope she feels the same. Again, iba naman po yung issue sa Taguig. At iba naman yung tinatakbo natin on a national level. So that is different,” she added.

Binay said her legislative priority would be empowering local government units across the country.

“Siyempre kailangan natin empower yung local government. I am coming from that perspective of a local chief executive. Marami po problema sa ground na kailangan baguhin. Marami pong batas na luma na. Kailangan po i-update kasi pasado na po ang Local Government Code. Marami po doon kailangan baguhin po doon,” she said.

'GOOD MIX'

In an interview, Sotto said he was confident of the chances of the administration’s senatorial lineup in the 2025 polls, describing it as “a very good mix” of people from different parts of the Philippines and backgrounds.

“Very strong, it’s a very good mix of people from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao and from the different sectors. May local governments, may national, merong business. It’s a very good mix, and I am very glad that the NPC is involved,” he said.

Sotto welcomed the NPC’s electoral alliance with the PFP and other major political parties, which he said aimed for “a unified approach for a better government.”

“A public servant should be for the service to the public. If your intention is not for the good of the people, you have no business being a political party. That is the stand of NPC lagi, and we found it in the stand of the PFP and the other alliance, so umaasa tayo na magiging maganda ang samahan ng legislative and the executive department,” he said.

The 76-year-old politician said that was ready to hit the campaign trail.

“I think so, I think I’m in shape. As a matter of fact I think that I’m in better shape than 3 years ago,” he said.

Meanwhile, Las Piñas Rep. Camille Villar said she was unfazed over running against more veteran lawmakers for the Philippine Senate. She said she would bring to the Senate “a fresh take on addressing the country’s problems.”

“Siguro lahat naman kami sama-sama. Tulong-tulong. Pero siguro yung bagong boses po. A fresh take on all our problems and fresh view and siyempre talaga iaddress nating lahat ng kailangan ng ating mga kababayan,” she said.

“Siyempre yung mandato natin para makatulong sa kabuhayan. What is important is we able to give livelihood sa ating mga kababayan. So in anyway we can do that, in any sector iyon talaga ipupush natin,” she added.