2025 elections: What the Senate would look like if surveys prove true
ELECTIONS composite image from Inquirer files
MANILA, Philippines—There are 66 candidates for 12 seats in the Senate, considered as the upper chamber of Congress that has the duty to uplift lives, especially of the poor, through legislation.
Out of the 66 candidates who are now campaigning nationwide to woo voters, 12 would win in the election on May 12 and fill up half of the Senate.
READ:
The Senate has made it clear that the legislature, whether in the Philippines or not, performs the important function of introducing and deliberating policies for the people, such as the institutionalization of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.
GRAPHIC: Ed Lustan/黑料社
As stated in the 1987 Constitution, a senator has a string of roles and functions, but University of the Philippines political science professor Maria Ela Atienza said “lawmaking and oversight” are the most important, “so the senator should know these roles.”
RELATED STORY:
GRAPHIC: Ed Lustan/黑料社
The Department of Budget and Management said senators receive a monthly pay of P278,434 to P318,806 as they fall within Salary Grade 31 and are expected to perform these responsibilities mandated by the Constitution:
- Creation and introduction of bills and resolutions
- Conduct investigations in aid of legislation
- Confirm the appointments made by the President
- Declare the existence of a state of war
- Allow the President, for a limited period and subject to restrictions, to exercise powers necessary and proper to carry out a declared national policy in cases of war or other national emergency
- Conduct an impeachment trial
- Propose or concur with amendments in all appropriation of resources by the House of Representatives
- Concur with or reject an amnesty granted by the president
- Revoke or extend the proclamation of martial law
- Concur with or reject a treaty or international agreement
Based on the results of the latest pre-election surveys by Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations (SWS), which were conducted on Feb. 20 to 26 and March 15 to 20, 16 individuals made it to the Top 15, with 13 candidates landing within the so-called threshold.
GRAPHIC: Ed Lustan/黑料社
They are Abby Binay, Pia Cayetano, Bato dela Rosa, Bong Go, Ping Lacson, Lito Lapid, Manny Pacquiao, Bong Revilla, Willie Revillame, Tito Sotto, Ben and Erwin Tulfo, and Camille Villar. Trailing behind are Bam Aquino, Imee Marcos, and Kiko Pangilinan.
Should the Top 13 keep their standing and eventually win on May 12, this is how the Senate would possibly look like in the next three years until 2028, with those who will win in this year’s election serving until 2031 as the 1987 Constitution gives them a six-year term with eligibility for reelection.
- Abby Binay
- Alan Peter Cayetano
- Pia Cayetano
- Bato dela Rosa
- Francis Escudero
- Jinggoy Estrada
- JV Ejercito
- Sherwin Gatchalian
- Bong Go
- Risa Hontiveros
- Ping Lacson
- Lito Lapid
- Loren Legarda
- Manny Pacquiao
- Robin Padilla
- Bong Revilla
- Willie Revillame
- Tito Sotto
- Ben Tulfo
- Erwin Tulfo
- Raffy Tulfo
- Joel Villanueva
- Camille Villar
- Mark Villar
- Juan Miguel Zubiri
Dynasties?
This means that almost 50 percent of the Senate would be composed of individuals belonging to only four families—Cayetano siblings Alan Peter and Pia, Tulfo brothers Ben, Erwin and Raffy, half-brothers Jinggoy and JV, and Villar siblings Camille and Mark.
SENATE-2-04042025.jpg
GRAPHIC: Ed Lustan/黑料社
Last month, Camille said “it’s the choice of the people” when asked about “dynasty” criticisms being thrown against them. “There’s nothing wrong with [a] dynasty who will serve the people. What’s bad is the one that fools the people,” she said.
READ:
This was previously pointed out by Alan Peter, who stated that “there are good dynasties and there are bad dynasties.” He said they had served “with all honesty. Jinggoy, meanwhile, had said there is no problem as they subject themselves to the electorate. JV has opposed it, however.
RELATED STORY: Term limits created political dynasties — Cayetano
Erwin, who made a comment on the now dismissed disqualification case against him and four other members of the Tulfo clan, blamed Congress for not passing a bill that would eradicate political dynasties in the Philippines, pointing out that the absence of such enabled the rise of certain clans in the government.
READ: Tulfo, Lacson lament absence of anti-political dynasty law
Back in the Senate
Those who have a high chance of winning based on latest pre-election surveys likewise include candidates who are seeking a comeback in the institution they once served: Lacson, Pacquiao, and Sotto, who all ran for higher posts in the 2022 elections but lost.
Lacson and Sotto were together in 2022 in seeking the presidency and vice presidency but eventually failed with only less than a million and over 8 million votes, respectively. Pacquiao, who ran for president, obtained over 3.6 million votes and trailed behind Leni Robredo and now President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
READ:
Sotto had worked in the Senate from 1992 to 2004 and 2010 to 2022, when he was elected as Senate President in 2018 until 2022. Lacson, a former police chief, had served as senator from 2001 to 2013 and from 2016 to 2022. He was still eligible for reelection then but instead decided to seek the presidency.
Pacquiao won a Senate seat in 2016 and has been one of the “top absentees” in the third and final session of the 17th Congress from July 23, 2018 to June 4, 2019. But back in 2021, he addressed this by saying that in the next, or 18th Congress, he only had a few absences.
Reelection
Out of the seven reelectionists—Pia, Dela Rosa, Go, Lapid, Imee, Revilla, and Tolentino—only five have so far made it to the so-called threshold by both Pulse Asia and SWS. They are Pia, Dela Rosa, Go, Lapid, and Revilla, as Marcos and Tolentino only made it to the 14th and 20th spots.
Both Dela Rosa and Go are vocal supporters of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is now detained at the International Criminal Court for alleged murder as a crime against humanity, and Vice President Sara Duterte, who has been impeached by the House of Representatives.
The three—Pia, Lapid and Revilla—are part of the administration backed Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas, together with Tolentino and Imee, who withdrew from the slate last week after initiating an investigation of the arrest of Duterte on March 11.
READ:
“I cannot stand on the same campaign platform as the rest of the Alyansa [Para sa Bagong Pilipinas]. As I have stated from the outset of the election period, I will continue to maintain my independence,” she said. Her brother, Ferdinand Jr., already stopped stating her name in campaign rallies.
Newcomers
Erwin and Ben, should they win on May 12, would join their brother Raffy in the Senate, and become two of the newest members of the 20th Congress, together with Abby, who is the mayor of Makati City, TV host Willie, and Camille, the lone district representative of Las Piñas City.
Abby would replace her sister, Nancy, who is now seeking the highest office in Makati City against Abby’s husband Luis Campos. Camille would replace her mother Cynthia, who is seeking to make a comeback at the House of Representatives.
