INSIDE THE NUMBERS

  • 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…

    Inside The Numbers

  • 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…

    Inside The Numbers

  • 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…

    Inside The Numbers

  • 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…

    Inside The Numbers

  • The tandem paradox

    Originally published in The Manila Times on August 22, 2026. https://www.manilatimes.net/2026/08/22/opinion/contributors/the-tandem-paradox/2410069 SARA Duterte leads Leni Robredo in OCTA Research’s latest solo presidential test. Put Robredo together with Raffy Tulfo, however, and the picture changes. In OCTA’s Q2 2026 head-to-head presidential survey, Duterte received 43 percent against Robredo’s 34 percent. In a hypothetical tandem test from…

    Inside The Numbers