The undefeated Hermilando I. Mandanas, simply “Dodo” to his constituents in Batangas, is facing perhaps the toughest challenge of his electoral career in recent memory, squaring off against the scion of showbiz royalty with considerable political resources in the vice gubernatorial race.
His opponent, Luis Manzano, is a newbie in politics but he’s a household name thanks to his years-long stint as host of game and reality shows on Philippine television. More importantly, he is the son of actor Edu Manzano and Vilma Santos-Recto, screen legend and a former Batangas governor who is also running in the 2025 polls to reclaim her old post.
Both have notable advantages in the race being defined by numerous things. First is the discourse on age. Second is the promise of scholarships. Third is provincial identity.
Mandanas’ decades of experience
Mandanas is firmly woven into the political fabric of the province.
He first served as Batangas governor from 1995 to 2004, and again from 2016 to 2025, totaling 18 years in the capitol. In between, he represented Batangas’ 2nd District in the House of Representatives.
A known local government champion, Mandanas has made his mark for successfully petitioning the Supreme Court to increase the national internal revenue taxes allotted to local government units (LGUs). The landmark ruling is known today as the Mandanas ruling.
His track record isn’t completely spotless, but arguably less blemished than most politicians. Last year, an Associated Press investigation revealed he was behind a company that “planned to make a fortune” from natural gas power in Batangas, raising potential conflict of interest. Outside of that, the governor has not faced formal allegations of corruption and impropriety.
Constitutionally barred from running a fourth consecutive term, Mandanas decided to slide down to the province’s second top post in the 2025 elections.
Unlike Manzano, Mandanas has not actively toured his province this campaign season. While he has social media presence, his online clout dwarfs that of Manzano, whose Facebook page boasts nearly 5 million followers.
Often, Mandanas would just share on Facebook light-hearted videos his wife had posted.
“I’m super stressed because the other candidates are all over the place — market tours, rallies, and all that. Meanwhile, our very busy Governor Dodo Mandanas didn’t even campaign today,” Angelica Chua-Mandanas said in one of her quirky reels.
Scholarships
In succeeding posts, Angelica narrated how Batangueño students would come up to them in public places to request a photo with the governor, thanking him for providing them financial assistance for their education.
Offering scholarships to thousands of students in Batangas has been a a key legacy of the Mandanas administration. He claims Batangas has the highest number of scholars among Philippine provinces. A Facebook group for beneficiaries of the provincial government’s scholarship and educational assistance program lists 89,000 members.
We tried to scheduled an interview with Mandanas, but were unsuccessful. In a message to Rappler though, he said that the provincial government has more than 57,000 scholars as of end-March this year.
When one is a scholar, they get allowance for uniform, school supplies, transportation, and food. Cash incentives are also given to students with exemplary performance.
Tuition is already free in public schools in the Philippines, but the stipend and assistance for miscellaneous fees help ease the financial burden on families of underprivileged students. The scholarship program also allows others to study at private institutions in Batangas.
Beneficiaries of the educational assistance program of the provincial government call themselves HIM (Hermilando I Mandanas) scholars. The branding is an obvious manifestation of patronage politics, a strategy that many politicians employ to cultivate personal loyalty and ensure their longevity in elective government.
The robust government program bearing Mandanas’ fingerprint is his edge in the race, and others have taken notice.
In April, the Progressive Allied Batangueños asked the Comelec to reconsider the exemption granted to the Mandanas-led capitol on financial aid distribution during the campaign period. Of the P273.2-million aid, P190 million was earmarked for scholarship and educational assistance. The group argued that this gave Mandanas “undue advantage over the rest of the candidates.” The Comelec eventually suspended the exemption.
“I have been strictly following the principle that no candidate can be electioneering using government funds,” Mandanas told Rappler.
This leaves Manzano with a steep challenge. When tens of thousands of Batangueños are already benefiting from Mandanas’ scholarship program, what message can he offer to convince voters that he can deliver just as much, if not more?
In one of his campaign sorties, he denied what he called false information circulating that he would discontinue the provincial government’s scholarship program if he were elected vice governor.
“I can tell you this to your face, not just as a Batangueño, but as a father, because I understand you. If we need to double, if we need to triple the number of scholars in Batangas, that’s what I will do for Batangueño families,” he said.
Young blood Manzano
There’s no other bigger campaigner for Manzano than his mom, who hypes up her son in every campaign sortie.
Manzano’s wife, actress Jessy Mendiola, pointed out in their final rally of the campaign season that Santos-Recto didn’t really have to go on the campaign trail because she’s essentially a shoo-in for the gubernatorial post. The Star for all Seasons has three opponents, including Mandanas ally former party-list congressman Mike Rivera, but she is the heavy favorite heading to election day, as her rivals just cannot match her machinery and the solid network she had cultivated when she was governor of the province.
In her campaign speeches, Santos-Recto would appeal to the crowd to vote for her and her son as a tandem. “Don’t separate us,” she would often say.
Her family has been on the receiving end of criticisms of trying to establish a dynasty. The mother and son’s joint capitol bid alone has ignited fears of weakened checks and balances if they both win in the elections. Additionally, Ryan Recto, her other son with Finance Secretary Ralph Recto, is running for Lipa congressman. Like Manzano, it’s Ryan’s first venture into politics.
The family has brushed aside the criticisms, saying they just offer themselves to the public, which will decide whether to catapult them to office. Rappler reached out to their camp for an interview, but their team turned it down.
Santos-Recto also tries to frame the dynastic bid for provincial government as a positive.
“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,” Santos-Recto said.
Such a statement highlights the stark contrast between the 44-year-old Manzano and the 81-year-old Mandanas. It depends on how voters would look at it — while older politicians may offer wisdom and experience, they also face the challenge of proving they can bring fresh ideas and connect with younger voters.
Manzano’s hurdle, on the other hand, is justifying to voters that it is reasonable to already gun for the vice gubernatorial post — a crucial role that would require him to oversee the provincial board — in only his political debut.
Batangueño identity
Online, scattered comments from some Batangas residents claim Manzano is not a legitimate Batangueño.
“It irks me when people who are not your average Batangueño or native citizen of a said place run for office,” one post in the Batangas subreddit read. “They hardly stay in Lipa tapos (and then) they are the face of Lipa,” another comment read. “Luis does not have the Batangueño blood,” one more Redditor said.
Even Mandanas’ wife wrote a knowing caption in one of her Facebook posts back in April, “It’s important that the one leading and set to lead the province, aside from having experience, competence, and intelligence, is a true Batangueño, just like our very own busy Governor Dodo Mandanas.”
Manzano studied in Metro Manila in high school and college, and built a career in entertainment also in the capital region, but his certificate of candidacy indicates he has been a resident of Batangas for 28 years already.
While issues on scholarship, age, and Batangueño identity are helping shape the vice gubernatorial race, it may, at the end of the day, boil down to how powerful their machineries and connections can be.
Mandanas, a resident of Bauan, has to grapple with the fact that even in his hometown, he could be splitting votes with a second opponent, Bauan Mayor Dolor. Dolor is the candidate with the least resources of the three vice gubernatorial candidates, although it is important to note that his family has controlled the municipal hall since 1998.
When Mandanas was congressman, Batangas City used to be part of the 2nd District. In that potential bailiwick, however, the reigning Dimacuha family has endorsed Santos-Recto and Manzano for the top two local posts.
Mandanas also failed to secure the endorsement of Iglesia ni Cristo, which practices bloc voting. The religious bloc committed to support Manzano instead.
Batangas-based political analyst Abvic Maghirang, however, believes Mandanas can fend off a challenge from a television star.
“Manzano, in all fairness to him, has laid out his programs on his campaign. But it’s like you’re battling a veteran in the political arena,” said Maghirang, who teaches political science at the University of Batangas. “Manzano is facing an uphill climb.”
In the absence of an A-tier pre-election polling in the province, only election day results would say for sure if star power and all the compounding factors that shaped the campaign can end a political veteran’s decades-long dominance in Batangas, or if Batangueños really, really love their Dodo Mandanas. – Rappler.com