Lee is a top contender in the 2025 Senate race, promising to maintain his focus on agriculture, job creation, and healthcare advocacy

Rep. Wilbert “Manoy” T. Lee is emerging as a strong contender in the 2025 Senate race, according to the latest “Boses ng Bayan” survey by the RP-Mission and Development Foundation (RPMD) conducted from July 1-10.

Lee secured the 20th position out of 40 potential Senate candidates in RPMD’s independent, non-commissioned nationwide survey, which sampled 10,000 adult respondents.

“I am both humbled and honored. Lubos po tayong nagpapasalamat sa suporta at tiwala ng ating mga kababayan sa ating mga ipinaglalaban bilang mambabatas,” the solon from Bicol said.

“Hamon at inspirasyon po ito para lalo pang pagbutihin ang trabaho at magpursige sa pagtupad sa mandatong ipinagkatiwala ng taumbayan,” he added.

For Lee, the survey results also show how his advocacies resonate with Filipinos saying, “Tuloy-tuloy lang po ang ating pagsisikap para maabot ang murang pagkain, tiyak na trabaho, dagdag na kita, at patas at mapagmalasakit na serbisyong pangkalusugan para sa lahat.”

AGRI Party-list is also among the leading party-lists in the RPMD’s June 1-10, 2024 “Boses ng Bayan” survey clinching the third spot with 86.1% performance rating.

Lee has previously expressed elation over AGRI Party-list getting the sixth spot in OCTA Research’s “Tugon ng Masa” survey conducted from June 26 to July 1, 2024, where it showed that if the May 2025 elections were held during the period, AGRI would likely secure two Congressional seats.

A businessman-turned-public servant, Lee has been on the frontline in fighting for agriculture, jobs and health, championing the causes of agricultural workers and other marginalized sectors.

Apart from being the principal author of Republic Act (RA) No. 11953 or the “New Agrarian Emancipation Act” and RA 11985 or the “Philippine Salt Industry Development Act”, Lee has also been on top of creating more jobs and opportunities for Filipinos by applying his business acumen to initiate job-generating enterprises.

Last July, Lee led the opening of the Global Flow Solutions, a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) enterprise in Plaridel, Bulacan which he persistenty pushed for. He also gave his commitment to help open nine more new BPO companies across the Philippines that could create 10,000 jobs.

It can also be recalled that it was Lee who successfully pushed for the 30% across-the-board increase in PhilHealth benefits which was implemented last Feb. 14.

Currently, he is pushing for another round of 30% increase in the state health insurer’s benefit packages considering the enormous available funds of PhilHealth that he revealed during the budget briefing last year.

“Baguhin na natin ang mga nakasanayang pananaw na ‘ok na yan’, ‘pwede na ang pwede na’ na nagdadala lang sa atin sa paulit-ulit na problema at lumalalang kahirapan at kawalan ng hustisya”, he said.

“Filipinos deserve better and we should demand better. Patuloy lang tayo sa pagtatrabaho at paglilingkod para maibigay ang deserve na serbisyo at benepisyo ng taumbayan.”

“Sa suporta ng bawat Pilipino, tara na po, ‘murang pagkain, gawin na natin! Tiyak na trabaho, gawin na natin! Patas, de-kalidad, at mapagmalasakit na serbisyong pangkalusugan, gawin na natin!’” he added.