The 2010 election of members to the Senate of the Philippines was the 30th election to the Senate of the Philippines. It was held on Monday, May 10, 2010, to elect 12 of the 24 seats in the Senate. The winners in this election joined the winners of the 2007 election to form the
15th Congress of the Philippines. The senators elected in 2007 will serve until June 30, 2013, while the senators elected in this election will serve up to June 30, 2016. The
2010 presidential election,
elections to the House of Representatives as well as local elections occurred on the same date. The
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
uses
plurality-at-large voting
Plurality block voting is a type of block voting method for multi-winner elections. Each voter may cast as many votes as the number of seats to be filled. The candidates with the most votes are elected. The usual result when the candidates div ...
for seats in the Senate: the twelve candidates with the highest number of votes wins the twelve seats up for election.
In the election, ten senators that had previously served in the Senate, six of them incumbents, were re-elected. The two neophytes,
Bongbong Marcos
Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr. (, , ; born September 13, 1957), commonly referred to by the initials BBM or PBBM, is a Filipino politician who has served as the 17th president of the Philippines since 2022. He is the second child ...
and
TG Guingona, had their fathers previously serve in the Senate. The first nine candidates that were leading in the canvassing of votes by the
Commission on Elections
An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...
were proclaimed winners on May 15, while the last three were proclaimed on May 18.
After the election, no party won a majority of seats, although the
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world.
The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
had the most seats with five, although with the election of
Benigno Aquino III
Benigno Simeon Aquino III (; born Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines ...
as president, the Liberals will have 4 members in the Senate. The independents have five, while the
Nacionalista Party
The Nacionalista Party (Filipino language, Filipino and Spanish language in the Philippines, Spanish: ''Partido Nacionalista''; , NP) is a political party in the Philippines which is the oldest existing party in the country and in Southeast Asi ...
and
Lakas–CMD
Lakas–Christian Muslim Democrats, abbreviated as Lakas–CMD and also known simply as Lakas, (and known as Lakas–Kampi until 2011) is a political party in the Philippines. Lakas–CMD is considered to be on the Centre-right politics, centre ...
have four each. It is expected that
Manuel Villar of the Nacionalistas and
Francis Pangilinan
Francis Pancratius "Kiko" Nepomuceno Pangilinan (; born August 24, 1963) is a Filipino lawyer, politician, and farm owner who is a Senate of the Philippines, senator-elect of the Philippines. He previously served as senator from 2001 to 2013 a ...
from the Liberals be the top contenders to be
Senate President; incumbent
Juan Ponce Enrile
Juan Valentin Furagganan Ponce Enrile Sr., (born Juan Valentin Furagganan; February 14, 1924), also referred to by his initials JPE, is a Filipino politician and lawyer who served as 21st President of the Senate of the Philippines from 2008 to ...
(PMP) originally said he would not seek the office, but with the inability of either of the frontrunners to garner the required thirteen votes, he has presented himself as a compromise candidate to avoid deadlock.
On the convening of the
15th Congress on July 25, Enrile was successfully reelected as Senate President by 17 senators, with 3 senators voting for his opponent,
Alan Peter Cayetano of the Nacionalistas. Three more senators did not attend, and one seat was vacated by
Benigno Aquino III
Benigno Simeon Aquino III (; born Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines ...
who was
elected President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
.
Electoral system
Philippine Senate elections are via
pluraity block voting, with the entire country as an
at-large
At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather tha ...
"district". Each voter has 12 votes, and can vote for up to 12 candidates. Seats up were the seats last contested in 2004.
Retiring and term-limited incumbents
Three senators are voluntarily retiring from the Senate at the end of their current term (two ran for president, and another for vice president; all lost), while two other senators are term-limited by the
Constitution of the Philippines
The Constitution of the Philippines (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas'' or ''Konstitusyon ng Pilipinas'') is the Constitution, supreme law of the Philippines. Its final draft was completed by the Philippine Constitution ...
after serving two consecutive terms.
#
Rodolfo Biazon (
Liberal)
#:Term-limited in 2010, ran for House representative from
Muntinlupa's at-large district and
won.
#
Dick Gordon (
Bagumbayan–VNP)
#:Ran for
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
and
lost. Ran for senator
in 2013 and lost; ran again
in 2016 and won.
#
Jamby Madrigal (Independent)
#:Ran for
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
and
lost. Ran for senator
in 2013 and lost.
#
Nene Pimentel (
PDP–Laban
The Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP, ) is a populist political party in the Philippines founded in 1982. It was previously known as Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP–Laban) from 1983 to 2024 as a result of a merger with L ...
)
#:Term-limited in 2010. Pimentel subsequently retired from politics.
#
Mar Roxas (
Liberal)
#:Ran for
vice president
A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
and
lost. Ran for president
in 2016 and lost; ran for senator
in 2019 and still lost.
Campaign
The candidates had varied campaign strategies, but the candidates from the
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world.
The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
and the
Nacionalista Party
The Nacionalista Party (Filipino language, Filipino and Spanish language in the Philippines, Spanish: ''Partido Nacionalista''; , NP) is a political party in the Philippines which is the oldest existing party in the country and in Southeast Asi ...
relied on TV advertisements for exposure. Celebrities also endorsed candidates, notably
Kris Aquino for
Tito Sotto
Vicente Castelo Sotto, III (; born August 24, 1948), is a Filipino politician and television personality who is a Senate of the Philippines, senator-elect of the Philippines. He is the longest-serving senator in the history of the upper chamb ...
and
Sharon Cuneta
Sharon Gamboa Cuneta-Pangilinan (born January 6, 1966) is a Filipino actress, singer, and television personality. Prolific in multiple fields of entertainment, she is known for playing dramatic and comedic leading roles in film and television. ...
for
Neric Acosta. As a callback to the successful "VOT FOR D CHAMMP" campaign slogan of the
People Power Coalition during the
2001 election, the Liberals used the "SLAMAT LORRRD" acronym to easily convey their senatorial line-up.
On April 18,
ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN is a leading Philippine media and content company. It serves as the flagship media brand of ABS-CBN Corporation, a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation. Once the country's largest free-to-air television network, ABS-CBN has since ...
held the ''Harapan'' (Face-Off) senatorial debates at
La Consolacion College – Manila.
Adel Tamano scored the highest rating amongst the candidates who participated, followed by
Neric Acosta and
Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel, while
Francisco Tatad
Francisco "Kit" Sarmiento Tatad (born October 4, 1939) is a Filipino journalist and politician best known for having served as Minister of Public Information under President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. from 1969 to 1980, and for serving as a Senat ...
rated poorly.
Actors
Bong Revilla
Ramon Bautista Bong Revilla Jr. (; born Jose Mari Mortel Bautista; September 25, 1966) is a Filipino actor, director, producer, television presenter and politician serving as a Senate of the Philippines, senator since 2019, and previously from ...
(born Ramon Revilla Jr.), who changed his legal name to his
screen name "Bong Revilla" prior to the campaign period, and
Jinggoy Estrada
Jose Pimentel Ejercito Jr. (born February 17, 1963), better known as Jinggoy Estrada or Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, is a Filipino politician and film actor serving as a senator since 2022 and previously from 2004 to 2016. He is the current presi ...
, together with
Miriam Defensor Santiago consistently topped the poll surveys from
Social Weather Stations and
Pulse Asia
Pulse Asia Research Inc. is a public opinion Opinion poll, polling body in the Philippines. It was founded by Professor Emeritus Felipe B. Miranda (M.A. Political Science, University of Chicago) of the University of the Philippines Diliman.
Puls ...
. On the other hand, while all incumbent senators who are running appeared safe to retain their seats, it appeared that no party will win a majority of the 12 seats being contested.
Candidates
On December 15, 2009, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) released the approved list of candidates for the Senate elections. On January 14, 2010, the COMELEC approved four more candidates for the Senate, reaching a total of 61.
These are the candidates that were listed on the ballot, with order determined by surname. The tickets are as advertised by the coalition; these are unrecognized by the COMELEC but is extensively used by the media. The COMELEC does list the political parties of the candidates on the ballot. One has twelve votes for senator, with one vote for every candidate. A voter can distribute one's vote to any ticket as one seems fit. One can vote
less than
In mathematics, an inequality is a relation which makes a non-equal comparison between two numbers or other mathematical expressions. It is used most often to compare two numbers on the number line by their size. The main types of inequality ar ...
the twelve candidates from any ticket (
open list
Open list describes any variant of party-list proportional representation where voters have at least some influence on the order in which a Political party, party's candidates are elected. This is as opposed to closed list, in which party lists ...
), although the coalitions encourage voters to
vote "12–0" (if applicable). A voter who had voted for
more than twelve candidates will have his ballot
spoiled, invalidating the rest of that voter's votes in the senate election.
A candidate may be included in more than one ticket; a party, if it has not enough candidates to complete a 12-candidate ticket, can invite guest candidates from other parties. These guest candidates can choose to acknowledge their inclusion in other tickets and are not bound to follow the policies of the tickets that adopted them.
Opinion polls
:''Note: Tables only include confirmed candidates by the COMELEC.''
The following are results of surveys taken after candidates were confirmed by the COMELEC.
Results
Incumbents, former senators, and candidates whose other family members that had Senate experience performed well. All six incumbents who ran held their seats, four former senators also won, and the two neophyte senators,
Bongbong Marcos
Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr. (, , ; born September 13, 1957), commonly referred to by the initials BBM or PBBM, is a Filipino politician who has served as the 17th president of the Philippines since 2022. He is the second child ...
and
TG Guingona had their fathers (
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, dictator, and Kleptocracy, kleptocrat who served as the tenth president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled the c ...
and
Teofisto Guingona Jr., respectively) previously served at the Senate.
Among the six winning incumbents, three had family members that previously served in the Senate:
Bong Revilla
Ramon Bautista Bong Revilla Jr. (; born Jose Mari Mortel Bautista; September 25, 1966) is a Filipino actor, director, producer, television presenter and politician serving as a Senate of the Philippines, senator since 2019, and previously from ...
(son of
Ramon Revilla Sr.),
Jinggoy Estrada
Jose Pimentel Ejercito Jr. (born February 17, 1963), better known as Jinggoy Estrada or Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, is a Filipino politician and film actor serving as a senator since 2022 and previously from 2004 to 2016. He is the current presi ...
(son of
Joseph Estrada
Joseph Ejercito Estrada (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor, who served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 until his resignation in 2001. ...
) and
Pia Cayetano (daughter of
Rene Cayetano; her brother,
Alan Peter Cayetano, won in 2007). The other winning incumbents are
Miriam Defensor Santiago,
Lito Lapid
Manuel "Lito" Mercado Lapid (; born October 25, 1955) is a Filipino actor, director and politician serving as a Senate of the Philippines, Senator since 2019, and previously from 2004 to 2016. He started his political career in Pampanga, serv ...
, and Senate president
Juan Ponce Enrile
Juan Valentin Furagganan Ponce Enrile Sr., (born Juan Valentin Furagganan; February 14, 1924), also referred to by his initials JPE, is a Filipino politician and lawyer who served as 21st President of the Senate of the Philippines from 2008 to ...
.
The four former winning senators also had a family member with Senate experience:
Ralph Recto
Ralph Gonzalez Recto (; born January 11, 1964) is a Filipino politician currently serving as the 33rd secretary of finance since 2024, under President Bongbong Marcos. He previously served as the representative for Batangas' 6th district a ...
(grandson of
Claro M. Recto),
Tito Sotto
Vicente Castelo Sotto, III (; born August 24, 1948), is a Filipino politician and television personality who is a Senate of the Philippines, senator-elect of the Philippines. He is the longest-serving senator in the history of the upper chamb ...
(grandson of
Vicente Sotto
Vicente Yap Sotto, Sr. (; April 18, 1877 – May 28, 1950) was a Filipino playwright, journalist, and politician who served as a Senate of the Philippines, senator from 1946 to 1950. He also served in the 6th Philippine Legislature, House of Rep ...
) and
Sergio Osmeña III (grandson of
Sergio Osmeña
Sergio Osmeña Sr. (, ; zh, c=吳文釗, poj=Gô͘ Bûn-chiau; September 9, 1878 – October 19, 1961) was a Filipino people, Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the List of presidents of the Philippines, fourth president of the Ph ...
and son of
Sergio Osmeña Jr.). The other returning senator is
Franklin Drilon
Franklin Magtunao Drilon (; born November 28, 1945) is a Filipino lawyer and former politician. He has served thrice as president of the Senate: in 2000, from 2001 to 2006, and from 2013 to 2016.
Having also served as Senate president pro te ...
.
Only one former senator ran and lost:
Francisco Tatad
Francisco "Kit" Sarmiento Tatad (born October 4, 1939) is a Filipino journalist and politician best known for having served as Minister of Public Information under President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. from 1969 to 1980, and for serving as a Senat ...
; candidates with no prior Senate experience but had family members that previously served in the Senate but lost are
Ruffy Biazon (son of outgoing Senator
Rodolfo Biazon),
Sonia Roco (wife of
Raul Roco),
Adel Tamano (son of
Mamintal Tamano
Mamintal Abdul Jabbar Tamano (December 25, 1928 – May 18, 1994) was a Filipino politician and a former Senator of the Philippines.
Early life and education
Tamano was born in Tamparan, Lanao. He graduated valedictorian at the Lanao High Sch ...
) and
Susan Ople
Maria Susana "Toots" Vasquez Ople (February 9, 1962 – August 22, 2023) was a Filipina politician and Overseas Filipino Workers' (OFW) rights advocate who served as the first Secretary of the Department of Migrant Workers.
Biography
Susan O ...
(daughter of
Blas Ople
Blas Fajardo Ople (February 3, 1927 – December 14, 2003) was a Filipino journalist and politician who held several high-ranking positions in the Executive Departments of the Philippines, executive and Congress of the Philippines, legislative b ...
).
The election of
Benigno Aquino III
Benigno Simeon Aquino III (; born Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines ...
as President of the Philippines
in concurrent elections means that his Senate seat will be vacant until June 30, 2013.
Key:
* ‡ Seats up
* + Gained by a party from another party
* √ Held by the incumbent
* * Held by the same party with a new senator
*^ Vacancy
Per candidate
Per coalition
Per party
With the election of
Benigno Aquino III
Benigno Simeon Aquino III (; born Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines ...
as president, there were only 23 seats in the Senate's chamber for the
15th Congress of the Philippines. There were calls to let the 13th placed candidate,
Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel, to be proclaimed in lieu of Aquino leaving the Senate but neither her campaign nor the Liberal Party petitioned the commission on the matter. Aquino's vacated seat won't be contested in a special election as special elections for Senate vacancies can only be scheduled on the next scheduled election; that seat would be up for the 2013 election.
Unofficial results
Several organizations released unofficial tallies when the commission's first preliminary tally was yet to be released.
Seats won per party
Tally
Aftermath
With the lineup for the 15th Congress becoming apparent, senator-elect
Miriam Defensor-Santiago (PRP) commented that her ally
Manuel Villar has the numbers to retake the Senate Presidency. Villar resigned from the senate presidency just prior to the election period and
Juan Ponce Enrile
Juan Valentin Furagganan Ponce Enrile Sr., (born Juan Valentin Furagganan; February 14, 1924), also referred to by his initials JPE, is a Filipino politician and lawyer who served as 21st President of the Senate of the Philippines from 2008 to ...
(PMP) became the new senate president. Jockeying for the position then began with
Francis Pangilinan
Francis Pancratius "Kiko" Nepomuceno Pangilinan (; born August 24, 1963) is a Filipino lawyer, politician, and farm owner who is a Senate of the Philippines, senator-elect of the Philippines. He previously served as senator from 2001 to 2013 a ...
(Liberal) announcing his intention to be senate president, citing the need for a "friendly" Senate for the
Benigno Aquino III
Benigno Simeon Aquino III (; born Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines ...
administration. The Liberals still have to agree on a candidate, as Ponce Enrile earlier said that he will not seek the post.
The Liberals apparently narrowed down their candidates to former Senate President
Franklin Drilon
Franklin Magtunao Drilon (; born November 28, 1945) is a Filipino lawyer and former politician. He has served thrice as president of the Senate: in 2000, from 2001 to 2006, and from 2013 to 2016.
Having also served as Senate president pro te ...
and Pangilinan, with Villar as the Nacionalista bloc's candidate. Independent senator
Francis Escudero
Francis Joseph "Chiz" Guevara Escudero (, born October 10, 1969) is a Filipino politician and lawyer who has served as the 25th president of the Senate of the Philippines since May 20, 2024. Escudero has served as a Senate of the Philippines, s ...
remarked that some senators are conducting exploratory talks on who they will field for the post of Senate President.
In July 2010, the Liberal Party announced that Pangilinan will be the candidate for the Senate presidency. Pangilinan will lead in seeking alliances with other senators and said that he will not seek an alliance with the Nacionalista Party.
Perceived voting blocs in the Senate:
On July 23, previous Senate President Enrile announced that he was approached by Drilon, Recto (both Liberals) and Escudero (independent) on July 20 informing him that they will support him once he agrees to be included in the race. Enrile agreed, with the conditions that he will not actively campaign, nor enter with a "bargaining effort with anyone." Sotto (NPC) remarked that retaining Enrile emerged as a viable compromise to prevent an impasse on the opening of Congress.
Recognizing that he can't secure the required 13 votes to win the Senate Presidency, Pangilinan has withdrawn his bid on July 25. The Liberals will now support Enrile for the Senate Presidency.
Election for Senate President
With
Loren Legarda
Lorna Regina "Loren" Bautista Legarda (born January 28, 1960) is a Filipina politician, environmentalist, cultural worker, and former journalist who is currently serving as a Senator and served as the president pro tempore of the Senate of the ...
nominating Enrile, he won the Senate Presidency with a vote of 17–3, defeated
Alan Peter Cayetano, who was nominated by
Joker Arroyo
Ceferino "Joker" Paz Arroyo Jr. (; January 5, 1927 – October 5, 2015) was a Filipino statesman and key figure in the 1986 EDSA Revolution, EDSA People Power Revolution that ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos. He was a Congressman for Makati fr ...
with 4 absent senators: Cayetano became the Minority Floor Leader instead.
Defeated incumbents
All incumbents who defended their seats won.
References
External links
Official website of the Commission on Elections Official website of National Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL)Official website of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV)
Results
Philippines 2010 Election Results– Main Site
Philippines 2010 Election Results– Alternate Site
PPCRV Map Viewer– PPCRV Encoded Site
PPCRV Map Viewer– PPCRV Site
NAMFREL – 2010 PARALLEL COUNT– NAMFREL Site
HALALAN 2010: Latest Comelec official results– ABS-CBN Site
ELEKSYON 2010: National Election Results Tally– GMA Site
ELEKSYON 2010: Regional Election Results Tally– GMA Site
Auto-Vote 2010: Senatorial Election Results– Hatol ng Bayan Site
The Vote 2010 Election Results Tally– Bombo Radyo Site
Media websites
Halalan 2010– Election coverage by
ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN is a leading Philippine media and content company. It serves as the flagship media brand of ABS-CBN Corporation, a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation. Once the country's largest free-to-air television network, ABS-CBN has since ...
Eleksyon 2010– Election coverage by
GMA Network
GMA Network (an acronym of its legal name, Global Media Arts and commonly known as GMA) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine commercial broadcast network, serving as the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network (company), ...
Hatol ng Bayan (Auto-Vote 2010)– Election coverage by
NBN-4,
RPN-9 and
IBC-13
{{DEFAULTSORT:Senate Elections, Philippines 2010
2010 Philippine general election
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...