PCIJ report: 8 Senate bets spent over P1 billion for May 12 polls

National

EIGHT senatorial candidates each spent over P1 billion on television and radio ads as part of their campaign for the 2025 midterm elections

Based on Nielsen Ad Intel data compiled by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), Las Piñas Rep. Camille Villar was the highest spender, pouring in P3.5 billion for traditional media placements.

Villar’s ad spending far outpaced those of her rivals from January 2024 to March 2025, the PCIJ report said.

The report added that the P24-billion ad splurge by the eight biggest spenders reflected how deep political dynasties’ pockets have grown, pushing out less-funded contenders from national prominence.

Next to Villar was Sen. Imee Marcos with P2.8 billion in ad placements, while Makati Mayor Abigail Binay ranked third with P2.6 billion.

Together, Villar, Marcos, and Binay shelled out P8.9 billion, accounting for more than one-third of the total traditional media spending over the 15-month period.

Reelectionist senators Francis Tolentino, Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., and Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go also joined the billion-peso club, along with former Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos.

These eight candidates made up over 60 percent of the tracked ad spending.

ACT-CIS Rep. Erwin Tulfo nearly breached the threshold, airing joint ads with his party-list group worth a combined P875 million. His wife and son are among the group’s nominees.

Spending soared as the official campaign period kicked off in February 2025. Candidates aired P9.6 billion worth of ads during February and March alone, nearly matching the P10 billion logged for the entire year of 2024.

During this period, Binay was the top spender with P852 million, slightly ahead of Villar’s P760 million.

Other candidates also ramped up their spending by February, including the administration slate Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas, which spent P480 million in ads.

PCIJ noted that the Senate race remains heavily influenced by name recall and celebrity status, rather than clear party platforms.

Early campaign frontrunners included media personalities and long-time public figures such as Erwin and Ben Tulfo, senators Tito Sotto, Bong Revilla, Lito Lapid, former senator Manny Pacquiao, and TV host Willie Revillame.

While Pacquiao and Revillame have dropped in rankings, Villar and Binay steadily climbed in surveys, a shift observers partly attribute to their aggressive ad strategies.

Villar, who did not initially appear in early “Magic 12” surveys, rose to 9–10th place in the latest Social Weather Stations poll.

Election reform advocates raised concerns about the ballooning cost of national campaigns, warning that the steep price of winning Senate seats sidelines qualified candidates without access to massive resources.

“Politician-businessmen need to be disincentivized and leave elections to true public servants,” said Luie Guia, former elections commissioner and member of watchdog group Democratic Insights Group.

Guia said Villar’s spending helped raise her public awareness, which her ground network then converted into voter support.

“Ads are important in the early stages of the campaign. The movements in preferences as the election nears are affected more by energizing the ground support,” he added.

In the PCIJ report, observers also credited Villar’s political machinery, backed by her family’s wealth and network among local leaders , for reinforcing her rise.

Her father, former Senate President Manny Villar Jr., who remains the country’s richest businessman, even appeared in some of her ads. Her mother, Sen. Cynthia Villar, and her brother, Sen. Mark Villar, also hold national posts.

Binay, daughter of former Vice President Jejomar Binay and sister of outgoing Sen. Nancy Binay, similarly leaned on her family’s political base to stay competitive.

However, Villar’s family-owned PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp. drew criticism during the campaign period over its alleged poor services. Binay, meanwhile, managed to avoid major controversies.

Not true

Earlier, Marcos denied a previous PCIJ report claiming she spent P1 billion for her 2025 reelection campaign, at that time.

In an interview with reporters after an event in Barangay Labangon, Cebu City on January 24, Marcos dismissed the claim as false and impractical.

“Hindi totoo ‘yan. Kung may ganyan akong pera, binili ko na lang ng bigas at NutriBun para ibigay sa lahat,” she said.

The senator, who relaunched the Marcos-era NutriBun program to fight hunger, said she would rather use funds to directly help Filipinos than spend on ads.(MyTVCebu)