TikToker Eli San Fernando Wins a Seat in Congress
ELI SAN FERNANDO – A well-known TikToker and political content creator, has been officially proclaimed by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) as a representative of the Kamanggagawa party-list. The announcement was made on Monday, May 19. Kamanggagawa is one of the groups that secured a seat in the 20th Congress after receiving 382,657 votes in the May 12 elections.
San Fernando’s victory highlights the growing influence of social media in today’s political landscape. His strong online presence and active public engagement through platforms like TikTok played a significant role in the party’s success.
A netizen, Ben Bernabe, praised San Fernando’s campaign strategy, noting that it reflects a shift from traditional methods to more dynamic, digital approaches. He added that other successful groups, such as Akbayan and Mamamayang Liberal, also enhanced their social media efforts during the 2025 campaign period.
Meanwhile, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has decided to postpone the official proclamation of the Duterte Youth and Bagong Henerasyon party-list groups due to unresolved legal complaints filed against them. This was announced by Comelec Chairman George Garcia during a proclamation event held at the Manila Hotel on May 19, 2025. The complaints involve serious allegations of election law violations, which led the Comelec’s Supervisory Committee to recommend delaying the proclamation until the issues are thoroughly reviewed.
Garcia stated that there is still enough time to resolve these matters before the opening of the new Congress on June 30. Duterte Youth was set to occupy three seats, while Bagong Henerasyon was allocated one. For the 20th Congress, 63 seats are reserved for party-list groups, with allocation based on the 2% vote threshold upheld by the Supreme Court in the Banat vs. Comelec ruling. Chairman Garcia reaffirmed Comelec’s commitment to handling the matter fairly and in accordance with the law to uphold the credibility of the electoral process.