He won. He lost. He skipped. He won, again, in one surprising turnaround.
In 2013, Bam Aquino was elected as senator of the Republic of the Philippines, landing in 7th place.
In 2019, Bam Aquino failed to get reelected for a second term, losing at 14th place.
In 2022, Bam Aquino skipped the senatorial elections, taking a sabbatical of sorts, and lived to fight another day.
In 2025, Bam Aquino, despite lagging in all pre-election survey results, did not only win but almost topped the senate race, landing in 2nd place.
“Bam Aquino, despite lagging in all pre-election survey results, did not only win but almost topped the senate race, landing in 2nd place.”
This article will study how it happened or, more particularly, where it happened.
ALWAYS OUTSIDE, NEVER INSIDE
Bam Aquino never entered the winner’s circle in all pre-election surveys from 2023-2025.
He was rank number 13 in 2023. He averaged in rank number 21 in 2024. He averaged in rank number 15 in 2025. He never made it to the top 12. Not even once.
“He never made it to the top 12. Not even once.”
| DATE | RANK |
| December 2023 | 13 |
| March 2024 | 20 |
| June 2024 | 28 |
| September 2024 | 19 |
| November 2024 | 17 |
| January 2025 | 16 |
| February 2025 | 15 |
| March 2025 | 15 |
Note: All surveys referred to in this article were conducted by Pulse Asia.
1ST TO 3RD PLACE IN ALMOST HALF OF ALL PROVINCES NATIONWIDE
Bam Aquino landed in 1st to 3rd place in 35 out of 82 provinces. This is 43% of all provinces nationwide.
He finished 1st place in 21 out of 82 provinces. This is 26% or more than a quarter of all provinces nationwide.
1ST PLACE
| PROVINCE | REGION |
| Albay | 5 |
| Antique | 6 |
| Batangas | 4A |
| Bulacan | 3 |
| Camarines Norte | 5 |
| Camarines Sur | 5 |
| Catanduanes | 5 |
| Cavite | 4A |
| Eastern Samar | 8 |
| Iloilo | 6 |
| Laguna | 4A |
| Marinduque | 4B |
| Negros Occidental | NIR |
| Nueva Ecija | 3 |
| Oriental Mindoro | 4B |
| Pangasinan | 1 |
| Quezon | 4A |
| Rizal | 4A |
| Sorsogon | 5 |
| Tarlac | 3 |
| Zambales | 3 |
He finished 2nd place in 9 out of 82 provinces. This is 11% or more than a tenth of all provinces nationwide.
2ND PLACE
| PROVINCE | REGION |
| Aklan | 6 |
| Bataan | 3 |
| Batanes | 2 |
| Capiz | 6 |
| Guimaras | 6 |
| Isabela | 2 |
| Northern Samar | 8 |
| Pampanga | 3 |
| Romblon | 4B |
He finished 3rd place in 5 out of 82 provinces. This is 6% or more than 5% of all provinces nationwide.
3RD PLACE
| PROVINCE | REGION |
| Aurora | 3 |
| Leyte | 8 |
| Masbate | 5 |
| Occidental Mindoro | 4B |
| Siquijor | NIR |
“Bam Aquino landed in 1st place in all the provinces of Region IV-A (Southern Tagalog), without exceptions.”
Bam Aquino landed in 1st place in all the provinces of Region IV-A (Southern Tagalog), without exceptions. The five provinces of CALABARZON comprises 14% of the total voting population of the Philippines. His votes from these five provinces (almost four million votes) comprises almost 20% of his total votes nationwide (almost 21 million).
Region IV-A (Southern Tagalog)
| PROVINCE | NUMBER OF VOTES |
| Cavite | 926,675 |
| Laguna | 838,214 |
| Batangas | 808,760 |
| Rizal | 652,428 |
| Quezon | 556,785 |
“He also landed in 1st to 3rd place in all the provinces of three other vote-rich regions.”
Aside from topping the race in all the provinces of Region IV-A, he also landed in 1st to 3rd place in all the provinces of three other vote-rich regions: Region 3 (Central Luzon), Region 5 (Bicol), and Region 6 (Western Visayas).
Region 3 (Central Luzon)
| PROVINCE | RANK |
| Bulacan | 1 |
| Nueva Ecija | 1 |
| Tarlac | 1 |
| Zambales | 1 |
| Bataan | 2 |
| Pampanga | 2 |
| Aurora | 3 |
Region 5 (Bicol)
| PROVINCE | RANK |
| Albay | 1 |
| Camarines Norte | 1 |
| Camarines Sur | 1 |
| Catanduanes | 1 |
| Sorsogon | 1 |
| Masbate | 3 |
Region 6 (Western Visayas)
| PROVINCE | RANK |
| Antique | 1 |
| Iloilo | 1 |
| Aklan | 2 |
| Capiz | 2 |
| Guimaras | 2 |
In addition, Bam Aquino also landed in 1st place in 7 out of 20 independent cities (35%). This is more than a third of all independent cities nationwide.
Furthermore, he landed in 1st to 3rd place in nine out of 20 independent cities (45%). This is almost half of all independent cities nationwide.
Moreover, he won in 19 out of 20 independent cities (95%). This is almost all the independent cities nationwide already, except for only one.
INDEPENDENT CITIES
| INDEPENDENT CITY | RANK |
| Angeles | 1 |
| Bacolod | 1 |
| Dagupan | 1 |
| Iloilo | 1 |
| Naga | 1 |
| Olongapo | 1 |
| Santiago | 1 |
| Baguio | 2 |
| Puerto Princesa | 3 |
| Cebu | 4 |
| Tacloban | 4 |
| Zamboanga | 8 |
| Butuan | 10 |
| Lapu-Lapu | 10 |
| Cagayan de Oro | 11 |
| General Santos | 11 |
| Ormoc | 11 |
| Cotabato | 12 |
| Iligan | 12 |
| Davao | 17 |
Lastly, Bam Aquino did exceptionally well in the National Capital Region (Metro Manila). He either finished first or second in all the 16 cities and one municipality of NCR. He did not rank lower anywhere in NCR.
He landed in 1st place in 10 out of 17 NCR areas (59%). This almost two thirds of all areas in Metro Manila.
He landed in 2nd place in 7 out of 17 NCR areas (41%). This is more than a third of all areas in Metro Manila.
NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION (METRO MANILA)
| CITY/MUNICIPALITY | RANK |
| Las Piñas | 1 |
| Manila | 1 |
| Marikina | 1 |
| Muntinlupa | 1 |
| Parañaque | 1 |
| Pasig | 1 |
| Pateros | 1 |
| Quezon City | 1 |
| San Juan | 1 |
| Taguig | 1 |
| Caloocan | 2 |
| Makati | 2 |
| Malabon | 2 |
| Mandaluyong | 2 |
| Navotas | 2 |
| Pasay | 2 |
| Valenzuela | 2 |
TOP 12 IN ALMOST THREE QUARTERS OF THE ENTIRE COUNTRY
As previously mentioned, Bam Aquino landed in 1st to 3rd place in in 35 out of 82 provinces (43%). This is almost half of all provinces nationwide.
In addition, he landed in 4th place to 12th place in 26 out of 82 provinces (32%). This is almost a third of all provinces nationwide.
All in all, he won in 61 out of 82 provinces (74%). This a total of almost three quarters of the entire country.
“He won in 61 out of 82 provinces.”
AMAZING
For Bam Aquino, it was one amazing race, and an even more amazing finish, especially coming from outside the winner’s circle in all pre-election surveys from 2023-2025.
When the dust from all the election fireworks finally settled, he surprisingly landed all the way up to the upper portion of the list at 2nd place.
Imagine losing in only one out of the 38 provinces of Luzon. Abra.
Imagine losing in only one out of the 16 provinces of Visayas. Samar.
Imagine losing in only one out of the seven independent cities of Mindanao. Davao.
Imagine winning in all the areas, and at 1st place or 2nd place at that, of NCR.
This is the story of the resurrection of Bam Aquino: winning in 100% of NCR; winning in 97% of all provinces in Luzon; winning in 95% of independent cities nationwide; winning in 94% of all provinces in Visayas; winning in 29% of all provinces in Mindanao; winning an amazing race, completing one surprising turnaround.
