Santa Rosa Representative Dan Fernandez has officially conceded defeat to Sol Aragones in the 2025 gubernatorial race in Laguna.
In a heartfelt Facebook post on Monday, Fernandez expressed his gratitude to supporters and emphasized his continued commitment to public service, despite the electoral loss.
“Sa lahat ng mga nagtiwala, sumuporta, at patuloy na naninindigan kasama ko, taos-puso akong nagpapasalamat,” Fernandez wrote. “Hindi man natin nakamit ang tagumpay sa eleksyon na ito, mananatiling buo ang aking paninindigan at pagmamahal para sa ating lalawigan.”
He extended his congratulations to Aragones, a former ABS-CBN journalist, who emerged victorious in a tight four-way race.
“Ipinapaabot ko rin ang aking pagbati kay Gov. Sol Aragones sa kanyang pagkakapanalo. Nawa’y maging matagumpay ang kanyang pamumuno at magsilbing daan tungo sa mas maunlad at mas pagkakaisang Laguna,” he added.
Fernandez also vowed to remain a public servant “in heart, action, and principle,” even outside of elected office.
The concession comes weeks after Fernandez received a show-cause order from the Commission on Elections (Comelec). He was accused of using public funds to distribute rice during the campaign period—an act prohibited during the election spending ban.
Fernandez denied the allegations, stating the event in question occurred on March 19, prior to the ban, and accused opponents of spreading “doctored” footage to sabotage his candidacy.
“Because the video footage was doctored to the core… no distribution event was held last April 14,” his official reply to Comelec stated.
Sol Aragones’ campaign was not without controversy either. She received backlash for endorsing senatorial candidate Rodante Marcoleta—an INC member known for his role in ABS-CBN’s franchise denial. Despite this, the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) backed Ruth Hernandez, not Aragones.
Aragones managed to prevail over Hernandez, incumbent Vice Governor Karen Agapay, and Fernandez, proving her broad voter appeal despite the lack of bloc support from INC.
