The Philippines’ Senate Circus: Fame, Bloodlines, and a Nation’s Blind Spot

By Louis ‘Barok‘ C Biraogo — March 28, 2025

THE Philippines’ latest Senate race survey isn’t about policy—it’s about fame, family, and forgetting. Released by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) on March 26, 2025, the numbers paint a grim portrait: Christopher “Bong” Go and Erwin Tulfo tied at 42%, trailed by a parade of dynastic heirs, TV stars, and a boxer whose punches landed harder in the ring than in the legislature. This isn’t a ballot; it’s a mirror reflecting a democracy buckling under the weight of entrenched power and populist dazzle. How did a nation that toppled a dictator in 1986 end up here, choosing between the architects of a brutal drug war and a game-show host promising handouts?

Dynasties: The Iron Grip of Oligarchs

Look at the names: Tulfos, Cayetanos, Binays, Villars. Two Tulfo brothers—Erwin and Ben—command 42% and 34% of voter preference, their media empire a megaphone for their campaigns. Pia Cayetano, at 31%, hails from a clan that’s treated Taguig like a fiefdom. Abby Binay, at 27%, carries the baggage of her father’s corruption scandals—yet voters shrug. Camille Villar, also 27%, is the latest scion of a billionaire family whose wealth and influence dwarf most Filipinos’ dreams.

Political dynasties control over 70% of Congress, according to a 2019 study by the Ateneo School of Government, entrenching inequality in a country where the top 1% hold 17% of the wealth (World Bank, 2023). Does this choke representation? Ask the farmer in Mindanao or the jeepney driver in Manila—do their voices pierce this gilded bubble?

Celebrity Politics: Spotlight Over Substance

Then there’s the spectacle: Willie Revillame, a TV host who leapt from 30% to 28%, now tenth, promising to “fight for the poor” with no record to back it up. Manny Pacquiao, at 27%, once skipped Senate sessions for boxing matches and sparked global outrage with homophobic slurs—yet here he is again. These aren’t outliers; they’re symptoms.

In a nation where 24% live below the poverty line (Philippine Statistics Authority, 2024), fame offers a cheap escape from despair. But what does it say when a democracy swaps substance for star power? Is this the failure of schools, of media, of leaders who’ve let voters drown in entertainment instead of education?

Human Rights: Blood Washed White

Most damning is the resilience of Bong Go and Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa—42% and 30%, respectively. Both were lieutenants in Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war, which left over 6,000 dead by official count and up to 30,000 by human rights groups’ estimates (Amnesty International, 2021).

Go, Duterte’s loyal aide, pushed health bills while sidestepping accountability for the carnage. Dela Rosa, the ex-police chief who bragged about “stacking bodies,” wears his brutality as a badge. Their popularity isn’t just a poll number—it’s a verdict: Justice is optional, fear is king. Why do Filipinos cheer the men who turned their streets into killing fields? Is this amnesia, or a cry for order in a chaotic world?

The Survey’s Shaky Ground

The SWS numbers—based on 1,800 voters, with a ±2.31% national margin—hint at shifts. Lito Lapid slipped from 33% to fifth, Bong Revilla from 33% to sixth—veteran actors losing luster. Revillame’s surge suggests voters crave new faces, even untested ones.

But with regional margins at ±5.66%, the rural-urban divide looms: Metro Manila’s middle class may scorn Dela Rosa, while Mindanao’s poor still revere Duterte’s iron fist. Class matters too—inflation hit 6.1% in 2024 (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas), squeezing the 58% of Filipinos earning under $5 a day (PSA, 2024). Are jobs trumping justice? The survey’s tight margins mean media hype could overstate these leads, yet the trends scream louder than the math.

Marcos Jr.’s Wobbly Throne

Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s presidency hangs over this race like a ghost. His 2022 victory, built on disinformation and nostalgia, sidelined human rights for economic promises—yet inflation and a shaky post-COVID recovery test his grip. Go and Dela Rosa’s strength signals lingering Duterte loyalty, a thorn in Marcos’s side as he balances their alliance with his own legacy.

If voters reject dynasties or celebrities, it could signal cracks in his coalition. But if they double down, it’s a vote for continuity over reform—proof his administration’s stability rests on the same old power games.

The Tulfo Propaganda Machine

The Tulfo brothers’ media dominance—BITAG and their radio shows reach millions—raises a red flag. Erwin’s stint as social welfare secretary ended in 2022 amid conflict-of-interest whispers; Ben’s vigilante-style journalism skirts accountability. Their 76% combined preference isn’t just popularity—it’s a media-fueled juggernaut.

Is it ethical for broadcasters to shape public opinion, then run on it? The Commission on Elections has no teeth to regulate this, leaving voters captive to their narrative. Where’s the line between influence and manipulation?

Hunger Trumps Honor

Behind the numbers, Filipinos grapple with survival. Inflation outpaces wages, unemployment hovers at 4.5% (PSA, 2024), and China’s shadow over the West Philippine Sea stirs unease. Human rights fade when rice costs more than promises. Yet governance—corruption scandals like the Binays’ or Revilla’s dismissed pork barrel case—gnaws at trust.

Voters aren’t blind; they’re desperate. But desperation shouldn’t mean settling for dynasties or clowns.

Wake Up or Sink

This Senate race is a crossroads. Will Filipinos let dynasties lock them into inequality? Will they trade competence for charisma, forgetting the blood on Dela Rosa’s hands or Pacquiao’s empty seats? The 1986 People Power uprising toppled Marcos Sr.—proof this nation can demand more.

Voters must pierce the spectacle: Ask Go about the widows of Duterte’s war, press Revillame on policy, challenge the Tulfos’ empire. Institutions need teeth—ban dynastic succession, cap media ownership, enforce transparency. Internationally, this matters: A Philippines sliding into oligarchy weakens Asia’s democratic flank against authoritarianism.

The SWS survey isn’t just data—it’s a warning. Fame and family can’t heal a nation. Only Filipinos can, if they dare to remember what power should serve.