Pangilinan eyes Senate return; Quiboloy files CoC

SEVERAL personalities filed their certificates of candidacy (CoC) for senator on the last day of the eight-day filing period for the 2025 midterm elections, announcing their splendid reasons for joining the race.

Former senator Francis «Kiko» Pangilinan, accompanied by his wife, actress/singer Sharon Cuneta, said that if prices of basic commodities were successfully reduced in 2014, there's no reason it can't be done now.

He said that as presidential assistant for food security and agricultural modernization from 2014 to 2015, with the help of the Bureau of Customs, National Bureau of Investigation and other government law enforcement agencies, they ran after smugglers, traders and hoarders, which led to the confiscation of P500 million worth of rice, filing of cases, cancellation of permits of erring importers, and filing of cases against corrupt NFA [National Food Authority] officials.

He added that they also changed the system of importation and stopped the overpricing of imported rice, effectively halting under-the-table deals and eventually bringing down the rate of inflation to 15 percent from 48 percent.

«It was the lowest inflation rate in 28 years. We were able to solve the problem,» he said.

Pangilinan, who is running under the Liberal Party, said the problem of skyrocketing prices of rice and other basic commodities is back, adding that it is why he decided to run again for the Senate.

«I am coming back [to the Senate] to provide a solution to the cry of the people,» he added. «We did it before, and we can do it again so long as the legislative and executive [departments] are helping each other.»

He said that if elected, he is ready to set aside politics to help the Marcos administration because «hunger does not have a political color.»

He also vowed to help the agriculture and fishing sectors, saying that the Philippines would not be able to achieve a developed nation status and sustainable economic growth if the agriculture and fishery sectors were left behind.

«Unless we address the gaps in the agriculture and fishery sectors, we will not reach the developed nation status and achieve food security,» he said.

Pangilinan said that he is