‘CheKiBam’ to run as an independent candidate in 2025 election

(From left to right) Atty. Chel Diokno and former senators Kiko Pangilinan and Bam Aquino announced during a press conference in Cebu City on Friday, August 16, that they will run as independent candidates in the 2025 general elections. They were joined by Senator Risa Hontiveros. | CDN Digital Photo/Emmariel Ares

Cebu City, Philippines– Former Senators Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan and Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino, and human rights lawyer Jose Manuel Tadeo “Chel” Diokno has announced plans to run for Senate in the 2025 mid-term elections.

They said in a press conference in Cebu City on Friday that they will run in the election as independent candidates.

These three are currently known as “CheKiBam” is a combination of the names of their volunteers and supporters.

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“There are others who call us the opposition, that’s OK. There are others who say it’s true or not, that’s OK too. But it’s more clear that our organization is independent of the two major organizations that are fighting right now,” Aquino said.

Aquino was referring to the camps of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and former President Rodrigo Duterte.

read: Sen. Bam Aquino pins his re-election dream on Cebu voters

“What I’m saying is, not the administrator, not the DDS. Independent,” Pangilinan said.

Worthy person

Sen. Ana Theresia “Lisa” Hontiveros said she hopes the three men, whom she calls “friends,” will join her in the Senate.

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“We are all friends of the Senate… We will unite and fight for the Filipino people. We will support you. We are all honorable people. They are the best people for the job,” Hontiveros said in a press conference on Friday.

Diokno also ran for senator in 2019 and 2022 but lost. He said the Marcos administration did not do enough to address the problems plaguing the country.

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It is for this reason that they present themselves as an alternative for the 2025 elections.

Pangilinan said he had planned to run for senator again in the 2022 national elections. But he chose to abandon his plans and instead support former Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo’s presidential bid.

He ran as Robredo’s running mate in the last election.

Last minute preparations

Pangilinan admitted that his “last-minute preparations” for the 2022 election had not panned out.

Having learned his lesson, he is now making early preparations for a run for Senate. He and other members of CheKiBam also recognize the importance of social media in winning votes.

Aquino said their biggest challenge is to attract attention like the Lenny and Kiko duo, which changed the country’s political landscape.

“I guess the challenge is whether we can get that atmosphere and energy in 2025. That’s why we’re starting early so we can talk to our friends,” he said.

Despite this, the three expressed confidence that the 2025 election Very hopeful.

“There are a lot of things that suggest that 2025 will certainly be a bigger win for this side of the political fence. Everything that happened in 2022, we learned that and we are applying it now,” Aquino said.

“We are preparing. ’Chikibam. ’We are preparing to campaign everywhere. We are preparing to bring all the concerns and all the demands of ordinary Filipinos to the Senate,” Diokno added.

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