MANILA (3rd UPDATE)—Administration-backed candidates kept their lead in the Senate race, partial results from Monday's midterm elections showed.
Candidates from administration party PDP-Laban and regional party Hugpong ng Pagbabago had 9 bets in the top 12, while the opposition Otso Diretso came up empty, based on 92.76 percent of election returns of clustered precincts as of 4:50 a.m. Tuesday.
Reelectionist senator Cynthia Villar led with 24,114,034 votes.
Three candidates in the top 12 were not allied with the administration nor with the opposition — reelectionist senators Grace Poe (Ind) and Nancy Binay (UNA), and former Senator Lito Lapid (NPC).
Other candidates who made it to the "Magic 12" are former special assistant to the president Bong Go, Taguig Rep. Pia Cayetano, former national police chief Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, reelectionist Sen. Sonny Angara, Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos, former presidential political adviser Francis Tolentino, and former senator Bong Revilla.
Hugpong fielded 13 candidates while PDP-Laban fielded 5. Opposition slate Otso Diretso had 8 candidates in the Senate race.
Click here for ABS-CBN's election results:
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