WATCH: Vilma Santos frames dynastic bid for Batangas capitol with son Luis as positive

'I have the wisdom. I know how to run programs. But I need new blood; I need Luis' energy,' Vilma Santos says of her running mate, son Luis Manzano

BATANGAS, Philippines – In the homestretch of the campaign for the 2025 elections, screen legend Vilma Santos-Recto is doubling down on her appeal to voters to elect their tandem — she and son Luis Manzano — for the Batangas capitol’s top two posts.

“Puwede ba ho huwag ‘nyo na kaming paghiwalayin (Can you please not separate us?)” the showbiz royalty with the monicker Star for All Seasons appealed to the crowd in Lobo, Batangas, on Monday, May 5.

Santos-Recto is seeking a comeback as Batangas governor, running in tandem with Luis, a TV show host.

In this vlog shot by production specialist Leone Requilman during Rappler’s visit to Lobo on Monday, May 5, multimedia reporter Dwight de Leon noted the criticisms that the family has faced for supposedly trying to build a dynasty in Batangas.

The fear is that the election of a governor and a vice governor from the same family would weaken the checks and balances in the capitol.

But Santos-Recto is trying to frame the mother and son’s joint bid for the capitol as an advantage. She said that if Luis were the vice governor, they can easily fast-track the approval of ordinances because the presiding officer of the provincial board is someone she trusts.

“I have the wisdom. I know how to run programs. But I need new blood; I need Luis’ energy. I need a younger perspective in life, in our programs and projects,” the 71-year-old politician said of her 44-year-old son, who is facing 81-year-old Governor Dodo Mandanas in the vice gubernatorial race.

Aside from Manzano, Santos-Recto’s other son Ryan Christian Recto is also entering politics for the first time, running for congressman of Batangas’ 6th District, which covers the city of Lipa.

Santos-Recto’s team declined our request for interview during our coverage in Lobo, but in past news reports, the family has resisted the “political dynasty” label.

“It’s not the political dynasty. How can you say it’s a dynasty when you know you don’t have any bad record, you just served?” she said in an interview with Ogie Diaz in April. “At the end of the day, we are here to serve, people will decide.” – Rappler.com