Back with a…Bam!
Sen. Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV’s only big loss these days is the 20-plus pounds he has purposely shed these past few years, downsizing from an XL to an L.
Otherwise, he is seen to have posted the biggest win in the recent senatorial elections even at second place. Coming from 24th place in May 2024, he says he had realistically hoped for number 8. Landing in the top 5 never entered the conversation.
But by 10 p.m. on Election Day, he knew he was not only back in the Senate (he was first elected in 2013), he was back with a bang.
“This victory was really God’s grace — there’s no other way to characterize this fight. It was a leap of faith. I remember when I was in 24th place (in the 2024 surveys), I had a friend who’s also a pastor who said, ‘You know, sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith. And your leap of faith, it’s not just faith in God, it’s also faith in the people.’ So I have to say now that this was really God-given. And it was so tremendous. The results were so incredible — walang ibang matingnan kung hindi iyon. So I hope I will live up to that.”
With his numbers, some are already seeing him as presidential timber in 2028.
Bam quotes a poem he learned when he was still at the Ateneo de Manila.
“You know may favorite akong tula. This was a poem we read in college. Kung nakatingin ka sa bituin, eventually, tatapak ka sa dumi ng aso. So, ibig lang sabihin noon, kung masyadong malayo ‘yung pananaw mo, mapapatid ka talaga. The Senate hasn’t even started yet, I still have my campaign promises to keep. So, I think what’s important is we focus on the work. Let’s focus on the work. Iyon ang hinahanap ng tao, hindi naman ako binoto para sa ibang posisyon, binoto ako para maging senador. And when that happens in July, people can expect that it’s time to get things done.”
When he realized he had won, and won resoundingly during the May elections, he didn’t shed tears of joy. Instead he called his former campaign manager (in 2013) and also newly-elected Sen. Kiko Pangilinan (who unexpectedly placed fifth) and told him, “We did it.”
What makes Bam Aquino, who completed his Bachelor of Science in Management Engineering at the Ateneo de Manila University, graduating summa cum laude and class valedictorian, cry? He also did not cry when he lost in the senatorial elections of 2019 and when then Vice President Leni Robredo, now the mayor-elect of Naga City, lost the presidential race in 2022. He was her campaign manager.
“Mababaw naman luha ko eh, but not in politics. Kailangan matigas ang tiyan mo sa politika. Pero kung may mapanood ako na sine na nakakaiyak, iiyak talaga ako, kahit nga commercial ng Jollibee maiiyak ka eh. Pero sa politika hindi pwede. Kailangan matigas ang tiyan mo.”
What makes him happy?
“What made me the happiest in this campaign, one of the constant things that kept me really inspired, was when we would go around, either a parent or a student would approach me and say, ‘Senator, nakatapos ako dahil sa batas mo’.”
“That’s the best feeling. Kasi ibig sabihin, may nagawa akong mabuti sa buhay nila. Parang hindi sayang ang trabaho mo. And iba rin kapag magulang ang nagpasalamat, Senator, ang anak ko, nurse na, dahil sa batas mo, and that’s a really, really high moment. Doon, medyo naiiyak ako.”
At the end of the day, what does he thank God for?
“My family, my volunteers, our campaign team. Maraming pasasalamatan. You know they say that success has many mothers, right? That’s really true. It wasn’t just one thing. It wasn’t just Lingayen to Lucena. It wasn’t just single messaging. It wasn’t just this big group. It was everything and everyone. Maraming tumulong. That spirit of people volunteering and helping out, that’s something you can’t buy. And for that to happen, to me and to have that result is something to be grateful for.”
Speaking of family, there has been no one surnamed Aquino in a national position since he lost the senatorial elections in 2019. Was that part of his motivation to win —to reclaim lost ground?
“No. Honestly, it wasn’t pressure to reclaim lost ground. But as soon as the campaign started, many of my cousins really helped out, including Ate Ballsy, Ate Ate Jackie, also my pamangkins. They were my surrogates. They would represent me in different areas. My mom Melanie, of course, became viral campaigning. I mean, lahat tumulong. My cousin Lenlen Oreta also won in Malabon. So he’s congressman now. And I have another cousin, Enzo, who is a councilor, also in Malabon. But we all came from not having any position, walang incumbent so walang pressure in that sense.
“I think if you look at the Aquinos and Philippine history, it’s ups and downs. There’s a time you’re at the highest position, may time na nakakulong ka, may time na pinatay ka, may time na ikaw yung pinaka-trolled to death, pero may time na nananalo ka rin. I think having seen all of that, hindi na siya pressure or burden. You want to live up to the ideals that your relatives have had. I mean, idol ko pa rin si Tito Ninoy, of course. Tita Cory, PNoy, Tito Butz, Tita Tessie (Oreta). These are relatives who gave so much for the country. The name is not a burden, I think it’s more of an inspiration. You want to live up to the name, pero you know who you are.
“You are who you are, and the name should be your North Star.”
You may e-mail me at [email protected]. Follow me on Instagram @joanneraeramirez.
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