Cavite’s Revilla family seeks to keep congressional seats in 2025 polls

MANILA, Philippines — The Revilla clan is looking to maintain its foothold in Cavite’s government, with a father, mother and son all vying for another term in Congress. Two of them filed their certificates of candidacy on Tuesday, October 1.

Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and his family are running for congressional seats in the 2025 midterm elections. His wife, Lani Mercado Revilla and son, Jolo Revilla, currently represent Cavite’s second and first districts, respectively.

Accompanied by Bong, Lani and Jolo submitted their certificates of candidacy before the Commission on Elections on Tuesday, joining the ranks of the long list of actor-turned-politicians in the country.

However, the Revilla political clan did not come from thin air.

Their political legacy traces back to Bong’s father, the late Ramon Revilla Sr., who served two terms as a senator from 1992 to 2004. Of Ramon’s eight children, five have been actively involved in politics.

Bong first stepped into politics in 1995 as Cavite’s vice governor and was elected provincial governor in 1998. In 2004 and 2010, he sought a Senate seat, winning both times.

Despite facing plunder charges for misusing P517 million of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), Bong made a political comeback in 2019. 

After spending four years in detention, he was acquitted by the Sandiganbayan in December 2018. 

However, the Office of the Ombudsman appealed to the Sandiganbayan, seeking to require Bong to return P124 million of his PDAF.

To this day, Bong aims to win another senatorial bid — his third consecutive term if granted — alongside local candidates under President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s senatorial slate “Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas.”

The senator is a member of the Romualdez-led political party Lakas-CMD, which has designated him as its official senatorial candidate for the 2025 midterm elections.

Two of the senator’s sisters have also been elected to local government positions. 

Bacoor City has had Rowena Mendiola as its vice mayor since 2022, after spending nine years as a city councilor from 2013 to 2022. Before that, she was a councilor in Imus City from 1988 to 1992.  

Meanwhile, outside of