Wilbert Lee, Agri party list solon, eyes Senate seat

MANILA, Philippines — Agri party list Rep. Wilbert Lee filed his certificate of candidacy on Tuesday, October 1 before the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

He is the first candidate to arrive to file his certificate of candidacy at the Manila Hotel Tent City.

First to arrive here at the Manila Hotel for the filing of certificates of candidacy for #Halalan2025 is Rep. Wilbert Lee (AGRI Partylist). He is gunning for a Senate seat under Aksyon Demokratiko @philstarnews pic.twitter.com/vygMkQbQNw

— Cristina Chi ???? (@chicristina_) October 1, 2024

The solon, also known as “Manoy,” will run under the banner of Aksyon Demokratiko, a party founded by the late Sen. Raul Roco. It was also the party where former Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso ran during the 2022 Presidential Elections. 

This will be Lee’s first attempt for a Senate seat two years after his election as the Agri party list representative. 

Lee and his party list

Prior to Lee’s election in 2022 in the party list, his wife, Delphine Gan Lee, represented the party list group from 2013 to 2022. 

Before entering politics, Lee served as the chairman of LKY Group of Companies, which was founded by his father, Lee King Yek, according to a report by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ). 

The company operates in sectors such as retail, food, real estate and construction.

One of the laws Lee authored is the New Agrarian Reform Emancipation Act. This law sought to condone the loans and amortizations of agrarian reform beneficiaries and exempt them from payment of estate tax on awarded agricultural lands.   

Aside from his political career, Lee also appears in a regular Sunday morning TV show on GMA Network called “Si Manoy ang Ninong ko” which started airing on March 3. 

Recent involvements

Lee was involved in a recent tension in the House of Representatives on September 25, during the interpellations for the Department of Health (DOH) budget. 

The solon grabbed the microphone of Rep. Paul Daza (Northern Samar 1st District) as he moved to terminate the deliberations on the health department’s budget. 

He still wanted to raise questions, but his colleagues in the lower house did not allow him to continue.

Before the deliberations, Lee alled for a postponement of the discussions of the DOH budget, citing that some of his concerns, such as his suggestion for PhilHealth to broaden its coverage, had not been addressed.

Biggest spender on Facebook advertisements

According to a PCIJ report, Lee is one of the party list representatives who were among the biggest spender on Facebook advertisements to boost his posts on the platform. 

As of July 21, 2024, the solon has spent a total of P2,501,032.00 to boost 1,396 posts targeting Facebook users nationwide, particularly those in the voting age of 18 and above, according to the report. 

Lee is followed by Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan (Bicol Saro party list) who paid P149,881 advertisement boost. 

Running third from Lee and Yamsuan is the Duterte Youth party list which spent P145,087.00.