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Podcast Episode: Is there such a thing as a TULFO brand?
Pip: Three brothers, two Senate seats, and a question that Inside The Numbers can't quite let go of — what exactly is the Tulfo brand, and does it travel as well as their television signal? Mara: This episode follows that question through the Tulfo family's electoral record, their regional footprint, and what the survey numbers…
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The TULFO brand
Is There Such a Thing as the Tulfo Brand? By Bong Habana Ruado Philippine politics came close to an unusual situation in 2025. Had Ben Tulfo moved up just one place in the senatorial race, three Tulfo brothers would have been sitting in the Senate at the same time. Raffy was already midway through his…
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InsideTheNumbers: The Podcast Episode 2- Bam Aquino’s 21M votes- Mandate or Mirage?
Pip: Nearly 21 million Senate votes, and the first thing the numbers say is: don’t read them as a presidential mandate. This is what Inside the Numbers Bong column has been doing exactly that kind of cold-water analysis this week. Mara: Right — the posts cover Bam Aquino’s surge and what it actually signals for…
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After No. 2: What Bam Aquino’s 2025 vote really means for 2028
Originally published in The Manila Times on September 3, 2026. https://www.manilatimes.net/2026/09/03/opinion/contributors/after-no-2-what-bam-aquinos-2025-vote-really-means-for-2028/2417197 BAM Aquino entered the 20th Congress with one of the strongest electoral credentials of the 2025 midterms: second place nationwide, nearly 21 million votes and a map extending well beyond the traditional opposition base. That naturally puts his name in conversations about 2028. The…
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From the edge to No. 2: How Bam Aquino outran the 2025 Senate surveys
Originally published in The Manila Times on September 2, 2026. https://www.manilatimes.net/2026/09/02/opinion/contributors/from-the-edge-to-no-2-how-bam-aquino-outran-the-2025-senate-surveys/2416287 THIS is an attempt to dissect Bam Aquino’s extraordinary rise in the 2025 midterm elections using numbers rather than political narrative. The Aquino name, the “Pink” vote, the youth, social media, endorsements and campaign strategy have all been offered as explanations. Some may be…