Former senator and senatorial candidate Kiko Pangilinan appealed once more to his supporters to conduct house-to-house campaigning and bring his advocacies closer to the voters.


Speaking in an open forum for the event “Activity: Kakaba-kaba Ka Ba? Dealing With Uncertainties in the RP’s Political Future” on Saturday, April 5, the former official explained why it is important to help voters understand the value of his work as a senator.


He said that in a synchronized national and local elections like in the Philippines, voters tend to focus more on local issues and candidates rather than the national candidates.


“Yung eleksyon kasi natin synchronized so ang botante nakakalimutan ang senado. Ang interes naman nila yung lokal. It’s not so much as hindi sila masyado marunong magbusisi, (kung hindi) wala na silang oras magbusisi kasi nga lokal ang focus nila,” he stated.


He furthered that voting wise, the approval ratings of local politicians can go as high as 85%, while a 40% approval rating for national politicians is already considered good.


“Ibig sabihin ang attitude ng madami, parang ang layo layo ng mga senador,” he said, adding that voters believe senators could not address the issues and challenges they face every day.


“(But) when you bring the issue or the value of importance of the Senate to our voters, then they will learn to discern na hindi na lang kung sino ang sikat (ang dapat iboto).”


Pangilinan earlier lamented that after placing inside the Magic 12 in the December-January pre-election survey, he was attacked by trolls and fake news, which led to his recent slump.


He continues to trail the Top 12 of major senatorial preference surveys, though university- and college-based surveys have consistently put him on top.


The former senator, who is running with the advocacy of food security and lower prices of food in the market, has been banking on the support of volunteers, especially those who joined him during the 2022 national elections when he ran as vice president.