MANILA – Reelectionist Sen. Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV said he was fine amid being dislodged from the “Magic 12” in the latest partial and official count by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Aquino said he wanted to inform the public he was “okay” amid high possibility of not returning to Senate.
“I just want to tell everyone out there that I’m ok! Please continue praying for me, better yet, please continue praying for and loving our country,” Aquino said.
“Hindi mauubos ang pagmamahal ko sa ating mga kababayan maganda man o hindi ang resulta ng eleksyon,” he added. “Love, love, love and gratitude to all those sending their messages of support!”
Aquino was initially part of the “Magic 12” on Comelec’s partial and official count on Friday but was dislodged to No. 13 later in the day with the entry of former Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.
Aquino was at No. 14 in the partial and unofficial count by the parish pastoral council on responsible voting with close to 98 percent of votes counted.
Aquino was the last hope of the opposition-aligned Liberal Party to make it to the “Magic 12” with most of its “Otso Diretso” senatorial candidates lagging behind in the vote count. /PN
