Plan of Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa is campaigning house-to-house for his re-run in the May midterm elections. According to Dela Rosa, "tokhang" means knocking and begging, where he will knock on voters' houses, smile, and beg for their vote. This style is similar to the anti-drug campaign during the term of former President Rodrigo Duterte, where Dela Rosa designed the controversial and bloody campaign.
Dela Rosa is running under the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino but he admitted that the fight in this election will be difficult because they are not part of an administration that has widespread support. Meanwhile, he and Duterte are being investigated by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in relation to alleged crimes against humanity.
In other news, former Vice President Leni Robredo criticized the Marcos administration at the rally of Kiko Pangilinan and Bam Aquino in Dasmariñas, Cavite. According to Robredo, the spirit of volunteerism from his 2022 campaign is still alive. He urged supporters to focus on voting for the two and expressed his frustration with the country's current issue.
Former Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos, on the other hand, was happy with the results of a survey that placed him in the 12th place of the Magic 12 of Senate candidates. He got 39 percent of the vote in the pre-election survey by OCTA Research from January 25 to 31. The result gives hope to his campaign this election.
Meanwhile, Apollo Quiboloy began his Senate campaign despite the charges of rape, qualified human trafficking, and child abuse he is facing. He could not attend the rallies but he released a recorded message that was approved by the court and the Comelec. He ran under Duterte-led PDP-Laban while remaining under hospital arrest.
