Wikipedia

2025 Philippine Senate election

For related races, see 2025 Philippine general election.

The 2025 Philippine Senate election will be the 35th election of members to the Senate of the Philippines. It will be held on May 12, 2025, within the 2025 Philippine general election. The seats of the 12 senators elected in 2019 will be contested in this election. The senators that will be elected in this election will serve until 2031, joining the winners of the 2022 election to form the Senate's delegation to the 20th Congress of the Philippines, with the senators elected in 2022 serving until 2028.

2025 Philippine Senate election
← 2022 May 12, 2025 (2025-05-12) 2028 →
12 (of the 24) seats to the Senate of the Philippines
13 seats needed for a majority
Incumbent Senate President

Francis Escudero
NPC



Background

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See also: 2022 Philippine Senate election and 19th Congress of the Philippines

In the 2022 election, the UniTeam Alliance backing the candidacy of eventual president Bongbong Marcos won a plurality of seats in the Senate of the Philippines.[1][2] Leading up to the convention of the 19th Congress, Senators Cynthia Villar and Migz Zubiri were viewed as the frontrunners to succeed Senate President Tito Sotto, who left the Senate after being term-limited.[3][4][5] After Zubiri presumptively earned enough votes to be elected Senate president and the failure of a term-sharing agreement, Villar withdrew from the contest, leaving Zubiri unopposed for the Senate presidency.[6][7]

Zubiri's term as Senate president was marked by speculation that there were efforts to unseat him from the position. Such speculation were confirmed by Senator Imee Marcos, who stated that there were plans to oust Zubiri from the Senate presidency, citing pressure that "came from outside the Senate".[8] On May 20, 2024, Zubiri resigned the Senate presidency after 15 senators expressed their support to oust Zubiri from the post.[9][10][11] Senator Francis Escudero was nominated as his successor and was elected without objection.[12][13]

After Vice President Sara Duterte resigned as secretary of education, she emerged as a disputed leader of the opposition. Political scientist Julio C. Teehankee observed that a broad united coalition is unlikely to form in 2025 given that the Liberal Party, the traditional political opposition since 2016, has more in common with the ruling Marcos administration. Teehankee also noted that "there is little value in debating" which political faction is the true opposition, noting the varied motivations for opposing an incumbent government.[14]

Electoral system

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Main article: Philippine Senate elections

The Philippines has a 24-member Senate elected at-large. Every three years since 1995, 12 seats are disputed. For 2025, the seats disputed in 2019 will be contested. Each voter has 12 votes, of which one can vote one to twelve candidates, or a multiple non-transferable vote; the twelve candidates with the most votes are elected.

Senators are limited to serving two consecutive terms, although they are eligible for a third (and succeeding) non-consecutive term.[15] Only half of the seats are up in every senatorial election.[16] The winning senators will succeed those elected in 2019, and will join those elected in 2022 to form the 20th Congress.

Each party or coalition endorses a slate of candidates, typically not exceeding a 12-person ticket.[17] A party may also choose to invite "guest candidates" to complete its slate.[18] The party may even include, with the candidates' consent, independent candidates and candidates from other parties as the party's guest candidates. Parties also may form coalitions to endorse a multi-party slate of candidates.

Winning candidates are proclaimed by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), sitting as the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC). The NBOC usually proclaims senators-elect by batches, if that candidate can no longer fall to worse than twelfth place in the tally. Post-proclamation disputes are handled by the Senate Electoral Tribunal, a body composed of six senators and three justices from the Supreme Court.

Term-limited incumbents

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The following are serving a successive six-year term and are barred from seeking reelection.[19]

  1. Sonny Angara (LDP), intent unknown
  2. Nancy Binay (UNA), intent unknown
    On January 20, 2024, Binay stated in an interview on DWIZ-AM that she was "50 percent sure" that she would run for the mayoralty of Makati upon the end of her term as senator.[20]
  3. Koko Pimentel (PDP), intent unknown
  4. Grace Poe (Independent), intent unknown
  5. Cynthia Villar (Nacionalista), intent unknown

Parties and coalitions

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Alyansa Para Sa Bagong Pilipinas

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See also: Bagong Pilipinas (campaign)

During the 2022 general election, the UniTeam Alliance was formed to support the candidacies of Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte for president and vice president respectively.[21] While in government after the alliance's large victories in the election,[22] Duterte remarked that the alliance had already "served its purpose" but claimed that the alliance was still "intact".[23] Following mounting tensions between the Marcos and Duterte political clans, Duterte resigned from her roles as secretary of education and co-vice chairperson of the NTF-ELCAC.[24] Political observers saw Duterte's resignation as a confirmation of the collapse of the UniTeam alliance.[25]

On May 8, 2024, the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) and Lakas–CMD signed an alliance agreement at the Manila Polo Club in Makati to form the Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas for the 2025 general elections.[26] House Speaker Martin Romualdez remarked that the formation of the alliance created the "most powerful political force in our country today", noting the positioning of the PFP as the de facto ruling party in the country and Lakas' status as the largest political party in the House of Representatives.[27] Two days later, former Senator Manny Pacquiao announced his senatorial candidacy as a member of the alliance while remaining a member of PROMDI.[28][29] Reelectionist Senator Imee Marcos, the sister of president and PFP chairman Marcos, noted that she was unsure of her inclusion in the coalition.[30]

On June 29, the National Unity Party joined the alliance.[31]

Liberal Party

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At a forum of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) on February 22, 2024, Liberal Party spokesperson and former Senator Leila de Lima announced that the party plans to field former senators Bam Aquino and Francis Pangilinan, as well as human rights lawyer Chel Diokno of the Katipunan ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KANP), as its senatorial candidates in the upcoming election.[32][33] While former vice president and 2022 presidential candidate Leni Robredo was floated as a possible candidate, Robredo ruled out a bid for the Senate and instead announced a run for the mayoralty of Naga, Camarines Sur.[34][35] Aquino confirmed his bid for the Senate on May 14 after being appointed as the chairman of KANP.[36]

Former Senator Antonio Trillanes, who ran under TRoPa in the 2022 Senate election, proposed that the Liberal Party and its allies "set aside sensitivities for a larger cause" and align with the Marcos administration in the Senate race to ensure "obliteration of the Duterte forces".[37] Political pundits suggest that such a coalition would provide the opposition with more resources during the campaign but may alienate "many groups in the opposition camp who are ideologically opposed to any alliance with other political groups".[38] De Lima disapproved of Trillanes' proposal, emphasizing the party's principles as a political opposition and identity as "the alternative to the Marcos bloc and the Duterte bloc".[39] Senator Risa Hontiveros concurred with de Lima, stating that while she respects Trillanes' proposition, such an alliance would not form a "genuine opposition".[40]

Makabayan

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Main article: Makabayan

In an interview during commemorations for the 42nd anniversary of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) on June 26, 2024, term-limited Representative France Castro announced her bid for the Senate in response to open letters from teachers encouraging her to seek a seat in the chamber in 2025.[41][42] Castro added that the Makabayan coalition plans to form a 12-member senate slate for the 2025 elections, aiming to form an "alternative slate" to the ruling government.[43]

Partido Demokratiko Pilipino

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See also: Partido Demokratiko Pilipino § Post-Duterte administration

At the party's national council held on April 19, 2024, at the Nustar Resort and Casino in Cebu City, former President Rodrigo Duterte endorsed the reelection bids of incumbent Senators Ronald dela Rosa, Bong Go, and Francis Tolentino as well as the bid of actor Phillip Salvador as part of the party's slate for the election.[44][45] On June 26, Vice President Sara Duterte confirmed the elder Duterte's bid for the Senate, along with that of her brothers Paolo Duterte, the incumbent representative for Davao City's 1st district, and Sebastian Duterte, the incumbent mayor of Davao City.[46][47]

In response to the possibility of an alliance between the ruling Marcos administration and the Liberal Party, dela Rosa affirmed that the Dutertes would lead the opposition in such case.[48]

Candidates

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Declared candidates

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The following have declared their intent to run in the election:

Potential candidates

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Other incumbents eligible for reelection

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Media outlets such as The Manila Times anticipate the following to seek reelection:[59]

Others

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Opinion polling

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Main article: Opinion polling for the 2025 Philippine Senate election

Opinion polling in the Philippines is conducted by Social Weather Stations (SWS), Pulse Asia, OCTA Research, and other pollsters.

Per candidate

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This list includes all individuals named by at least 10% of respondents in any of the surveys conducted after the campaign officially began. The top 16 candidates with the highest favorability in each poll are listed below, where the top 12 are marked with a "black line". For a comprehensive list of all individuals included in the surveys, see the main article.

# Feb 21–29, 2024 Mar 6–10, 2024 Mar 11–14, 2024 Mar 14–19, 2024
Oculum Research

and Analytics [64]

Pulse Asia[65] OCTA[66] Publicus Asia[67]
1 R. Duterte 53 E. Tulfo 57.1 E. Tulfo 58 Ong 41
2 T. Sotto T. Sotto 51.8 Sotto 52 R. Duterte 38
3 E. Tulfo 52 R. Duterte 47.7 Go 50 E. Tulfo 37
4 Moreno 45 Go 44.2 B. Tulfo 43 Go 32
5 Pacquiao 43 Cayetano 37.7 R. Duterte 38 T. Sotto
6 dela Rosa 41 Pacquiao Lacson 34 Lacson
7 Go 40 dela Rosa 33.2 dela Rosa 33 dela Rosa 28
8 Ong 35 Marcos 32.1 Pacquiao 32 Marcos 27
9 Marcos Moreno 31.5 Revilla 30 Moreno
10 V. Sotto B. Tulfo 30.5 Marcos 29 Robredo
11 Cayetano Revilla 29.6 Moreno 27 Teodoro 26
12 Revilla 32 Binay 29.1 Cayetano 26 Cayetano 23
13 Lacson 32 Lacson 28.6 Lapid 22 —
14 Lapid 30 Revillame 25.9 Tolentino
15 Robredo 23 Lapid 25.4 Ong 21
16 Honasan Ong 24.6 Abalos

Per party

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  • Parties (excluding independents) with the plurality of seats in boldface.
  • Parties (excluding independents) with the majority of seats are shaded by the party color.

Seats won

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  • Totals may not add up to 12 due to margin of error.
Date Pollster
ACT-CIS
Ind
Mar 14-19 Publicus Asia [67] 1 2 0 0 1 2 1 3 0 1 0 0 1
Mar 11-14 OCTA[66] 1 2 0 1 0 2 2 4 1 0 1 0 2
Mar 6-10 Pulse Asia[65] 1 2 0 1 0 2 3 3 0 0 1 0 3
Feb 21-29 Oculum Research

and Analytics[64]

1 2 0 1 1 2 2 3 0 0 1 0 3

Seats after the election

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  • Totals may not add up to 24 due to margin of error.
Date Pollster
Ind
Mar 11–14 OCTA[66] 1 1 2 0 1 0 3 6 5 1 0 1 1 0 6
Mar 6–10 Pulse Asia[65] 1 1 2 0 1 0 3 7 4 0 0 1 1 0 7

References

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