![]() | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
12 (of the 24) seats to the Senate of the Philippines 13 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
All 317 seats to the House of Representatives of the Philippines, including 63 party-list seats 159 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The 2025 Philippine general election will be held on May 12, 2025. During this midterm election, which will take place during the term of President Bongbong Marcos, all 317 seats in the House of Representatives and 12 of the 24 seats in the Senate will be contested to form the 20th Congress of the Philippines. Local elections will also be held for the executive and legislative branches in every province, city, and municipality in the country. The first regular election to the Bangsamoro Parliament will be held within the general election after it was postponed in 2022.
This will be the first general election to be held following the 2022 Maguindanao division plebiscite, which divided the province into Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur. This election will also be the first automated election to be overseen by the South Korean firm Miru Systems after the Commission of Elections (COMELEC) disqualified Smartmatic from participating in future elections.
A valid Philippine passport and an age of at least 18 years old is required to vote for both Filipinos and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). [1] [2] COMELEC implemented the Register Anywhere Program in July 2022, converting shopping malls, certain churches, and plazas as offices for the program. [3] [4] [1] OFWs are supposed to register for the elections by going to their nearest Filipino Embassy. [5]
On May 2023, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) recorded a total of 68 million registered voters. The commission estimated an increase of three million voters for the 2025 elections, creating a total of 71 million voters registered to vote in the election. [6]
On November 29, 2023, the COMELEC disqualified Smartmatic from all procurement processes conducted by the agency amid the company's involvement with the alleged bribery schemes concerning COMELEC Chairman Andres D. Bautista, citing an "imminent threat to the strength and integrity" of the country's electoral process. [7] [8]
On December 14, COMELEC conducted its first public bidding for a contract for the full automation system with the transparency audit count (FASTrAC) project amounting to a maximum of ₱18.827 billion. The South Korean firm Miru Systems was the sole bidder for the contract in the first round of bidding; its bid for the contract was rejected due to issues with its associated documents. [9]
Later, on December 25, 2023, election watchdog Democracy Watch Philippines urged COMELEC to review Miru Systems' bid for the FASTrAC, expressing concern over electoral failures in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Iraq whose elections Miru Systems oversaw. [10] [11] The company denied such failures, asserting that the two countries had "continued to show trust" in the company. [12]
The second round of bidding was conducted on January 8, 2024, in which six companies expressed interest in placing a bid. [13] Of the six companies, only Miru Systems submitted a bid for the contract. [14] In its second bid, the company was deemed eligible in its bid after fully complying with the required documents. [15] COMELEC began its post-qualification evaluation of Miru Systems on January 23. [16]
COMELEC unanimously awarded the contract for the lease of automated vote counting machines (VCMs) to Miru Systems on February 21. [17] [18] [19] The contract, amounting to ₱17.9 billion, was finalized on March 11. [20]
After the contract was signed, Representative Rufus Rodriguez criticized COMELEC for not obtaining the report lodged by Miru Systems' critics, deeming it a "big negligence". [21] In her privilege speech, Senator Risa Hontiveros cast doubt in the lack of bidders for the FASTrAC contract and raised the possibility of “bid suppression” in the bidding process. [22] One of Miru Systems' local partners, St. Timothy Construction Corporation, was subpoenaed by the Senate electoral reforms panel due to its ties to companies blacklisted by the Department of Public Works and Highways and a "sudden infusion of money" into the company in 2022. [23]
On April 17, the Supreme Court of the Philippines ruled that the COMELEC committed a "grave abuse of discretion" in their disqualification of Smartmatic in bidding for the VCM contracts for the midterm election, but stated that its ruling does not nullify the bidding process that awarded Miru Systems the VCM contract, leaving the company as the provider of the VCMs for the election. [24] [25] In response, COMELEC filed a motion of reconsideration to the court. [26]
More than 100,000 VCMs will be replaced in preparation for the election. [27] Representative Emigdio Tanjuatco III called for the VCMs to be reused instead to allocate more funds to address the "high costs of goods". [28] Smartmatic called for COMELEC to "utilize the warranty" of 93,977 precinct-based optical mark reader (OMR) machines and their accompanying election management system (EMS) that remain under the ownership of the commission. [29]
On April 8, the ₱1.4 billion contract to provide secure electronic transmission services (SETS) was awarded to a joint venture of iOne Resources Incorporated and Ardent Networks. [30] On June 25, a joint venture of Sequent Tech and SMS Global Technologies won the contract to deliver an online voting tool for overseas voting. [31]
On February 8, 2024, Constitution Day, President Bongbong Marcos affirmed his support for the efforts to amend the 1987 Constitution for "economic matters alone", pertaining to the Resolution of Both Houses No. 6 and 7, which largely aims to insert the phrase "unless otherwise provided by law" in select provisions to allow Congress to lift or relax present economic restrictions in the Constitution. [32] [33]
Marcos called for a constitutional plebiscite to be held in conjunction with the 2025 Philippine general election, noting the high costs of holding a separate vote. [34] [35] COMELEC Chairperson George Garcia initially refused the notion of holding the plebiscite within the general election, citing a Supreme Court ruling prohibits the simultaneous conduct of a regular election and a constitutional plebiscite. [36] However, Garcia would later change his stance and support conducting the two votes at once, announcing plans to use new VCMs and extend voting hours in anticipation of a possible plebiscite. [37] [38]
On October 21, 2023, Senator Francis Tolentino urged COMELEC to formulate policies regulating artificial intelligence (AI) in campaign materials to uphold the "principle of truthfulness". [39] Later, on May 29, 2024, Garcia wrote to the COMELEC en banc seeking to prohibit the use of deepfakes and AI in campaigning for the 2025 election following the circulation of a deepfake of President Marcos appearing to have ordered an attack on China amid tensions in the West Philippine Sea. [40] [41] Garcia's proposal was backed by Senators Bong Revilla and Win Gatchalian, though the latter called for the commission to specify the policies on AI as soon as possible, remarking that "AI is evolving every day". [42]
On April 12, 2023, Garcia proposed a "hybrid election system", which entails the use of both automated and manual election systems for the 2025 election. [43]
On June 27, 2023, the Supreme Court of the Philippines ruled that Republic Act 11935, which postponed barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections scheduled in December 2022 to October 2023, was unconstitutional, but allowed the 2023 Philippine barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) elections to push through in its schedule, citing practical and legal implications. [44] In view of the decision, the Supreme Court also determined that the next BSKE elections will be held in December 1, 2025, while succeeding elections will be held every three years thereafter on the first Monday of the Month. [45]
On July 17, Garcia filed a motion for reconsideration to the Supreme Court, seeking to move the 2025 BSKE elections to 2026 to ensure that the terms of the barangay officials elected in 2023 are "definite and regular". [45] On May 8, 2024, Representative Luis Raymund Villafuerte filed House Bill 10344, which aims to postpone the next BSKE elections to October 26, 2026, arguing that a shortened term for barangay officials "diminishes the obligations" that they hold. [46] [47] [48]
In the Philippines, congressional and local elections, excluding the regional and barangay levels, have been synchronized to be held on the second Monday of May every three years, starting in 1992. Presidents and vice presidents have six-year terms, so they are only elected in even-numbered years (1992, 1998, and so on). Elections where the presidency is not on the ballot are called midterm elections, and occur in odd-numbered years (1995, 2001, and so on).
Every seat up for election is voted on separately. Since 2010, general elections have been automated, with voters shading an oval next to their chosen candidate. [49] For executive positions, elections are decided via the first-past-the-post voting (FPTP) system, where the voter has one choice. Elections to the Senate and local legislatures are held via multiple non-transferable vote, where the voter has x number of choices depending on the number of seats up for election (12 in the case of the Senate), and the x candidates with the highest number of votes win. For House elections, each voter has two votes, one via FPTP, and the other via a modified party-list proportional representation system. [50]
Elections are organized, run, and adjudicated by the COMELEC, an independent governmental body. Appeals are allowed under certain conditions to the Regional Trial Courts, the Congress, or the Supreme Court, sitting as the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal, the Senate Electoral Tribunal, or the Presidential Electoral Tribunal depending on the election being appealed.
On May 29, 2024, COMELEC released the schedule for activities on the conduct of the 2025 elections. [51]
Activity | Start | End |
---|---|---|
Voter registration | February 12, 2024 | August 31, 2024 |
Overseas voter registration | December 9, 2022 | September 30, 2024 |
Holding of political conventions | September 1, 2024 | September 28, 2024 |
Filing of certificates of candidacies | October 1, 2024 | October 8, 2024 |
Election period
| January 12, 2025 | June 11, 2025 |
Campaign period for nationally elected positions | February 11, 2025 | May 10, 2025 |
Campaign period for locally elected positions | March 28, 2025 | |
Voting for overseas voters | April 13, 2025 | May 12, 2025 |
Election silence (Maundy Thursday and Good Friday) | April 17, 2025 | April 18, 2025 |
Voting for local absentee voters in the Philippines | April 28, 2025 | April 30, 2025 |
Liquor ban | May 11, 2025 | May 12, 2025 |
Election day; voting for non-absentee voters in the Philippines | May 12, 2025 | |
Term of office of winning candidates for local officials and House representatives | June 30, 2025 | June 30, 2028 |
Term of office of winning candidates for senators | June 30, 2031 |
Political parties in the Philippines forge political coalitions and alliances in the run-up to the general election as part of the country's multi-party system. The coalitions and alliances listed below are ordered alphabetically and reflect political agreements and endorsements as of June 2024.
Coalition | Parties endorsed | Current House Seats [lower-alpha 3] | Current Senate Seats [lower-alpha 4] | Ref. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas Formed May 8, 2024 [52] |
| 187 / 316 | 6 / 24 | [53] [54] | |
Liberal Party Announced February 22, 2024 [55] | 10 / 316 | 0 / 24 | [56] | ||
Makabayan Announced June 26, 2024 [57] | 3 / 316 | 0 / 24 | [57] | ||
Partido Demokratiko Pilipino Announced April 19, 2024 [58] |
| 6 / 316 | 5 / 24 | [58] |
COMELEC noted a total of 18,271 positions up for election in 2025. [59]
The election will determine the composition of the 20th Congress of the Philippines, set to take office on June 30, 2025, for a term ending on June 30, 2028.
In the Senate of the Philippines, 12 of 24 seats are up for election. The seats up for election were previously contested in 2019 and will be contested again in 2031. [59]
In the House of Representatives of the Philippines, all 317 seats are up for election. 254 seats represent geographic congressional districts while 63 seats are apportioned among party-lists. [59]
Local elections above the barangay level will also be held, with the following positions being contested: [59]
All 80 seats in the Parliament of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao will be contested for the first time within this election after the inaugural election for the legislature was postponed to 2025. [60] Of the 80 seats, 40 are elected through proportional representation, 32 are elected by single-member districts, and eight are reserved for sectoral representatives. [61] [62]
Elections in the Philippines are of several types. The president, vice-president, and the senators are elected for a six-year term, while the members of the House of Representatives, governors, vice-governors, members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, mayors, vice-mayors, members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod/members of the Sangguniang Bayan, barangay officials, and the members of the Sangguniang Kabataan are elected to serve for a three-year term.
Constitutional reform in the Philippines, also known as charter change, refers to the political and legal processes needed to amend the current 1987 Constitution of the Philippines. Under the common interpretation of the Constitution, amendments can be proposed by one of three methods: a People's Initiative, a Constituent Assembly or a Constitutional Convention.
Elections for all positions in the Philippines above the barangay were held on May 10, 2010. The elected president is Benigno Aquino III, the 15th President of the Philippines, succeeding President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who was barred from seeking re-election due to term restrictions. The successor of Vice-President Noli de Castro is Jejomar Binay, the 13th Vice President of the Philippines. The legislators elected in the 2010 elections joined the senators of the 2007 elections and comprised the 15th Congress of the Philippines.
A general election was held in the Philippines on May 13, 2013. It was a midterm election—the officials elected will be sworn in on June 30, 2013, midway through President Benigno Aquino III's term of office.
Manuel Noveno Mamba Sr. is a Filipino doctor and politician who is serving as provincial governor of Cagayan since 2016. He was elected to the House of Representatives of the Philippines, representing the 3rd District of Cagayan. First elected in 1995, he was re-elected in 2001, 2004, and 2007. He was also a municipal mayor of Tuao, Cagayan, from 1988 to 1995.
Smartmatic, or Smartmatic SGO Group, is a multinational company that builds and implements electronic voting systems. The company also produces smart cities solutions, identity management systems for civil registration and authentication products for government applications.
The 2010 Philippine presidential and vice presidential elections were held on Monday, May 10, 2010. The incumbent President of the Philippines, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, was ineligible to seek re-election as per the 1987 Constitution.
Mary Grace Natividad Sonora Poe-Llamanzares is a Filipino politician, businesswoman, educator, and philanthropist serving as a senator since 2013. She was the chairperson of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) from 2010 to 2012.
A general election in the Philippines took place on May 9, 2016, for executive and legislative branches for all levels of government – national, provincial, and local, except for the barangay officials.
Since the 2008 Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao general election, the voters in the Philippines have to shade the oval that was indicated before the candidate's name, and a voting machine manufactured by Smartmatic automatically counts each ballot as it is fed into it. The results are then printed as the election return and sent electronically to the city or municipal Board of Canvassers.
The 2022 Philippine presidential and vice presidential elections were held on May 9, 2022, as part of the 2022 general election. This was the 17th direct presidential election and 16th vice presidential election in the Philippines since 1935, and the sixth sextennial presidential and vice presidential election since 1992.
The 2019 Philippine general election was conducted on May 13, 2019. A midterm election, those elected therein will take office on June 30, 2019, midway through the term of President Rodrigo Duterte.
The Palawan division plebiscite was a plebiscite held in the province of Palawan, Philippines on March 13, 2021. As required by Republic Act No. 11259, the plebiscite was conducted to consent the residents of Palawan on the proposal to divide the province into three separate provinces: Palawan del Norte, Palawan del Sur, and Palawan Oriental.
The 2022 Philippine general election took place on May 9, 2022, for the executive and legislative branches of government at every level – national, provincial, and local – except for the barangay officials.
Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) in the Philippines were held on October 30, 2023. The elected barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan officials will begin their terms at noon on November 30, 2023. The barangay is the smallest administrative division in the country.
The 2022 Philippine House of Representatives elections were the 36th lower house elections in the Philippines. The election of the House of Representatives was held on May 9, 2022.
The Maguindanao division plebiscite was held in the province of Maguindanao, Philippines, on September 17, 2022, more than four months after the May 9 national and local elections, after having been postponed from its planned plebiscite in or before August 2021. As required by Republic Act No. 11550, it was conducted to seek the consent of the residents of Maguindanao on the proposal to divide the province into two separate provinces that will henceforth be named Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur.
The 2025 Bangsamoro Parliament election is scheduled to take place in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on May 12 under the Bangsamoro Organic Law, the charter of the autonomous region of the Philippines.
A special election was held in Cavite's 7th congressional district on February 25, 2023, to fill the district's vacant seat in the House of Representatives of the Philippines for the remainder of the 19th Congress.
The 2025 Philippine House of Representatives elections will be the 37th lower house elections in the Philippines, scheduled to be held on May 12, 2025, within the 2025 Philippine general election. All 317 seats in the House of Representatives will be contested in the election, including one seat for each of the 253 congressional districts in the country and 63 seats representing party-lists apportioned on a nationwide vote.