Top 6 races in Laguna to watch in the 2025 midterm elections

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ER Ejercito hopes to put an end to a losing streak, the Chipecos of Calamba seek to bounce back from their huge 2022 defeats, and four political heavyweights battle it out for Laguna's top seat

The province of Laguna, home to more than two million voters, is shaping up to have one of the most competitive local races in the Philippines.

Governor Ramil Hernandez is term-limited and has no choice but to pass the torch, but will he be able to keep within the family the control of provincial hall, or will other established politicians finally take over?

Rappler enumerates the top six most interesting races in the Philippines’ fourth most vote-rich province.

6. ER Ejercito hopes to break losing streak

PAGSANJAN MAYORAL RACE. Clockwise from top: Vice Mayor Terryl Gamit-Talabong, former mayor Toto Trinidad, former Laguna governor ER Ejercito, and Mayor Cesar Areza. Photos fro their Facebook pages, Wikimedia

ER Ejercito was once father of the province, but his second term was cut short in 2014 after the Commission on Elections, and later the Supreme Court, found him guilty of overspending in the 2013 elections.

He has not been able to catch a break since then. He tried to regain control of the provincial hall in 2016 and 2019, but lost on both occasions to Governor Ramil Hernandez. In 2022, he ran for mayor of Calamba, but suffered yet another humiliating defeat. He was convicted of graft charges by the Sandiganbayan in 2019, but since the Supreme Court has not yet finalized the ruling, the penalty of ban from public office has not yet taken effect.

Ejercito (Akay) now seeks to return to the town where his political career began, in Pagsanjan. Ejercito was mayor of Laguna’s tourist capital from 2001 to 2010, and he hopes to regain control of the municipal hall in 2025, but it’s not an easy task. His opponents include incumbent Cesar Areza (National Unity Party), Vice Mayor Terryl Gamit-Talabong (Lakas), and former mayor Toto Trinidad (Partido Federal).

5. Dan Fernandez’s son tries Congress

SANTA ROSA RACE. From left to right: Laguna Board Member Danzel Fernandez, and Santa Rosa Councilors Sonia Algabre and Roy Gonzales. Photos from their Facebook pages

Santa Rosa Representative Dan Fernandez (National Unity Party) is still eligible for one more term, but as he sets his sights on the provincial hall, he wants to hand over the reins of his district to his son, Board Member Danzel Fernandez. Danzel entered politics only in 2019, but got the second highest number of votes in the board member election of his provincial district (the top three vote-getters each won a seat).

His opponents for the legislative seat that will be vacated by his father are Sonia Algabre (Akay) and Roy Gonzales (Lakas), the second and third top vote-getters in the 2022 councilor race of Sta. Rosa.

4. Timmy Chipeco seeks to regain control of Calamba

CALAMBA MAYORAL RACE. From left: Incumbent Roseller Rizal and predecessor Timmy Chipeco. Photos from their Facebook pages

The Chipeco family controlled Calamba, Laguna’s most populous city, from 2004 to 2022. Their nearly two-decade rule of city hall came to an end three years ago after then-councilor Joey Chipeco, the brother of term-limited Mayor Timmy Chipeco, lost the mayoral race to Roseller Rizal.

Now, Timmy (Nacionalista Party), who served the city for three consecutive terms from 2013, is hoping to regain control of Calamba and dethrone Rizal (Lakas). Timmy was supposed to succeed his term-limited father Jun in the congressional district of Calamba in 2022, but lost by four percentage points to then-councilor Cha Hernandez.

3. Chipeco patriarch wants House comeback

CALAMBA CONGRESSIONAL RACE. From left to right: Councilor Turne Lajara, former congressman Jun Chipeco, and Councilor Turne Lajara. Photos from their Facebook pages

The Chipecos of Calamba are a dynasty that rose in the aftermath of the 1986 EDSA uprising. Jun Chipeco was the inaugural congressman of Laguna’s second district, and except for 1992 to 1995, he and his son had controlled the district until 2019, when Calamba became its own separate district.

Chipeco was the first congressman of the lone congressional district of Calamba, but since he was term-limited in 2022, he had to sit the race out.

Dynasty slayer Cha Hernandez (Lakas), the incumbent of this district, will try to defend her seat from Chipeco (Nacionalista) and two other challengers — including Councilor Turne Lajara (Partido Federal ng Pilipinas) — to prove that her election victory three years ago was not a fluke.

2. A crowded race for vice governor

VICE GUBERNATORIAL RACE. Top row: Actress Gem Amante, barangay chairman Lorenzo Zuniga; Center: Provincial Board Member JM Carait; Bottom row: Provincial Board Member Peewee Perez, Jerico Ejercito. Photos from their Facebook pages

Six names are on the ballot for the vice gubernatorial race, and incumbent Katherine Agapay has exhausted all three terms, so this election is an open field.

• JM Carait (Lakas), running mate of gubernatorial aspirant and congresswoman Ruth Hernandez, was the top vote-getter in the board member race of the province’s first district in 2022.
• Peewee Perez (Akay), running mate of gubernatorial aspirant and former congresswoman Sol Aragones, was the second top-vote getter in the board member race of the province’s second district in 2022.
• Jerico Ejercito, son of former Laguna governor ER Ejercito, was Aragones’ running mate in their failed bid for the province’s top two posts in 2022. He is now running as an independent.
• Lorenzo Zuniga (Partido Federal), running mate of Vice Governor and gubernatorial aspirant Katherine Agapay, is a village council chief, and president of the Liga ng mga Barangay in Laguna.
• Gem Amante Retuerto (National Unity Party), running mate of congressman Dan Fernandez, is an actress, and is the wife of San Pablo Mayor Vicente Amante.

1. Slugfest for governor

GUBERNATORIAL RACE. Clockwise from top: Laguna 2nd District Representative Ruth Hernandez, Vice Governor Katherine Agapay, former Laguna 3rd District representative Sol Aragones, and Santa Rosa Representative Dan Fernandez. Photos from their Facebook pages

The fight for control of the provincial hall in Laguna is undeniably the most exciting gubernatorial race in Calabarzon, as four of the seven names on the ballot have political machineries to rely on.

Two are sitting lawmakers who passed on a potential third term in Congress: Laguna 2nd District Representative Ruth Hernandez (Lakas), wife of term-limited incumbent Ramil Hernandez; and Santa Rosa Representative Dan Fernandez (National Unity Party), co-chairperson of the highly popular quad committee of the House of Representatives.

Vice Governor Katherine Agapay (Partido Federal ng Pilipinas) has been in her post since 2014, and ran in tandem with Governor Ramil in the last three elections. The 2025 polls mark the end of the road for that decade-long alliance.

The parties of Hernandez, Fernandez, and Agapay are in a coalition at the national level, under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas. This shows that the administration was unable to broker an agreement among the three gubernatorial aspirants.

For the 2025 elections, former Laguna 3rd District representative and broadcast journalist Sol Aragones formed her own political party Akay. She tried to dethrone Hernandez in a competitive gubernatorial race in the province in 2022, but lost by 16 percentage points on election day. It was still a formidable showing though for Aragones, who was able to garner over 600,000 votes.

Honorable mentions

• Laguna 4th District: Former congressman Benjamin Agarao (Partido Federal) ruled over the district from 2013 until 2022, and was succeeded by his daughter Jam. Congresswoman Jam seeks to return to her old post in the provincial board, as her father attempts a House comeback. His only opponent is former Santa Maria mayor Tony Carolino (National Unity Party).
• Lone district of Biñan: Incumbent Len Alonte-Naguiat is term-limited, so this presents an opportunity for Mayor Arman Dimaguila (Lakas), also term-limited, to dip his toes in legislative work. His only rival is Mike Yatco (Partido Federal), who lost the same race in 2022 by a landslide.
• Santa Cruz: Incumbent Mayor Edgar San Luis (National Unity Party) is seeking reelection, but will be challenged by Benjo Agarao (Partido Federal), the top vote-getter in the board member race in Laguna’s fourth provincial district in 2022.
• Los Baños: Incumbent Mayor Anthony Genuino (Bigkis) will try to defend his seat from four contenders, including Neil Andrew Nocon (independent), former provincial board member.
• Calamba: Former Eat! Bulaga host Anjo Yllana has been a politician in numerous places — in Parañaque and Quezon City (where he served as councilor), and Camarines Sur (where he ran for congressman but backed out). He’s now registered in Calamba, and is hoping to dethrone incumbent Totie Lazaro in the vice mayoral race.

– Rappler.com