By Katrina Gracia Consebido
A total of eight senators will end their six-year term in the 18th Congress.
Among the last-termer senators are Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto, Senators Manny Pacquiao, Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, Franklin Drilon, Leila de Lima, and Richard “Dick” Gordon.
Sotto and Pangilinan both failed to win the vice presidential race. Based on the latest partial and unofficial election results, Sotto ranked 3rd behind Pangilinan who placed 2nd, among nine vice presidential hopefuls.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao and Lacson earlier conceded defeat to former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. who is currently leading the partial and unofficial presidential race.
Recto, who ran unopposed, will serve as the representative of the 6th district of Batangas.
Drilon, opted to bid farewell to his 12-year stint as a senator, as he is set to retire altogether from politics.
De Lima and Gordon both failed to secure reelection, while reelectionist Senators Risa Hontiveros, Sherwin Gatchalian, Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, and Joel Villanueva are poised to win another senate term.
Sixty-four senatorial aspirants ran for the May 9 polls, but only 12 candidates with the highest number of votes will be joining the 19th Congress. – gb
