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 Philippinesportal |
This is a list of women senators of the Philippines. It is a guide to identify the women in the Philippines who have served as senators in the Senate of the Philippines, as distinct from the existing whole list of Philippine senators.
Since 1947, there have been 24 Filipino women senators in Philippine history. In the ongoing 20th Congress, there are 5 incumbent female senators.
The first female senator elected in the Philippines was Geronima Pecson, who reaped the third largest number of votes during the Philippine senatorial elections of 1947. During her senatorial term, Pecson headed the Senate Committee on Education, the Senate Committee on Health and Public Welfare, and the Joint Congressional Committee on Education. [1]
Eva Estrada-Kalaw was the first woman to be re-elected as senator. [2]
Nikki Coseteng was the youngest senator during the 9th and 10th Congress. She was first elected in 1992 and then re-elected in 1995.
Loren Legarda is the first Filipino woman senator to top the Senate race twice in 1998 and 2007. She also became the first Filipino woman to become majority floor leader of the Senate. [3] She was also the youngest senator during the 11th Congress. She is currently serving her fourth term as a senator, making her the longest-serving female senator in the Philippines.
Pia Cayetano is the youngest woman elected senator in Philippine history at the age of 38. She was elected in 2004, then re-elected in 2010. She returned to the Senate in 2019. Upon her reelection in 2025, she became the second woman to be elected to a fourth term as senator.
Loi Ejercito Estrada became the first first spouse (to Joseph Ejercito Estrada) to be elected in the Senate. She served from 2001 to 2007 after her husband's removal from the presidency in 2001.
Leticia Ramos-Shahani became the first Filipino woman to become president pro tempore of the Senate in 1993. [4]
Santanina Rasul is the first Filipina Muslim senator. [5]
Tecla San Andres Ziga was the first woman in the Philippines to top the bar examinations for law degree graduates. She was elected as a senator in 1963. [6]
Miriam Defensor Santiago was the first Filipino and first Asian from a developing country to be elected as a judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on December 12, 2011. [7] She later resigned the post due to suspected ME/CFS, which turned out to be lung cancer. [8] [9]
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was the first female senator who was elected as vice president (1998–2001) and later installed to the presidency (2001–2010). She became the first female speaker of the House of Representatives in 2018.
Risa Hontiveros is the Philippines' first democratic socialist woman senator, representing the Akbayan party. [10]
| Portrait | Name (lifespan) | Election | Years in service | Congress | Prior political experience | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Geronima Pecson (1896–1989) | 1947 | 1947–1953 | 1st, 2nd | Assistant Executive Secretary to President Manuel Roxas | Liberal | |
 | Pacita Madrigal-Warns (1915–2008) | 1955 | 1955–1961 | 3rd, 4th | Secretary of Social Welfare and Development (1953–1955) | Nacionalista | |
 | Maria Kalaw-Katigbak (1912–1992) | 1961 | 1961–1967 | 5th, 6th | None | Liberal | |
 | Tecla Ziga (1906–1992) | 1963 | 1963–1969 | 5th, 6th | Secretary of Social Welfare and Development (1962–1963) | Liberal | |
 | Eva Estrada-Kalaw (1920–2017) | 1965 1971 | 1965–1972 | 6th, 7th | Nacionalista | ||
 | Magnolia Antonino (1915–2010) | 1967 | 1967–1972 | 6th, 7th | Representative, from La Union's 1st district (1965–1967) | Nacionalista | |
 | Helena Benitez (1914–2016) | 1967 | 1967–1972 | 6th, 7th | Nacionalista | ||
 | Leticia Ramos-Shahani (1929–2017) | 1987 1992 | 1987–1998 | 8th, 9th, 10th | Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs (1981–1986) | LDP (until 1992) | |
| Lakas (from 1992) | |||||||
 | Nina Rasul (1930–2024) | 1987 1992 | 1987–1995 | 8th, 9th | Commissioner for Muslim and Other Ethnic Minorities (1978–1987) | Liberal (until 1992) | |
| Lakas (from 1992) | |||||||
 | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (born 1947) | 1992 1995 | 1992–1998 | 9th, 10th | Undersecretary of Trade and Industry (1989–1992) | Lakas | |
 | Nikki Coseteng (born 1952) | 1992 1995 | 1992–2001 | 9th, 10th, 11th | Representative, Quezon City's 3rd district (1987–1992) | NPC | |
 | Miriam Defensor-Santiago (1945–2016) | 1995 2004 2010 | 1995–2001 2004–2016 | 10th, 11th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th | Secretary of Agrarian Reform (1989–1990) | PRP | |
 | Loren Legarda (born 1960) | 1998 2007 2013 2022 | 1998–2004, 2007–2019, 2022–present | 11th, 12th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 19th, 20th | Representative, Antique's lone district (2019–2022) | Lakas (until 2003) | |
| Independent (2003–2005) | |||||||
| NPC (from 2005) | |||||||
 | Tessie Aquino-Oreta (1944–2020) | 1998 | 1998–2004 | 11th, 12th | Representative, Malabon–Navotas's lone district (1987–1998) | LDP | |
 | Loi Ejercito (born 1930) | 2001 | 2001–2007 | 12th, 13th | First Lady of the Philippines (1998–2001) | Independent (until 2004) | |
| PMP (from 2004) | |||||||
 | Jamby Madrigal (born 1958) | 2004 | 2004–2010 | 13th, 14th | Presidential Adviser for Children's Affairs (1999–2001) | LDP (until 2007) | |
| PDP–Laban (2007–2009) | |||||||
| Independent (from 2009) | |||||||
 | Pia Cayetano (born 1966) | 2004 2010 2019 2025 | 2004–2016 2019–present | 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 18th, 19th, 20th | Representative, Taguig–Pateros's 2nd district (2016–2019) | Nacionalista | |
 | Grace Poe (born 1968) | 2013 2019 | 2013–2025 | 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th | Chair, Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (2010–2012) | Independent | |
 | Nancy Binay (born 1973) | 2013 2019 | 2013–2025 | 16th, 17th 18th, 19th | Personal assistant to Vice President Jejomar Binay (2010–2013) | UNA | |
 | Cynthia Villar (born 1950) | 2013 2019 | 2013-2025 | 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th | Representative, Las Piñas's lone district (2001–2010) | Nacionalista | |
 | Risa Hontiveros (born 1966) | 2016 2022 | 2016–present | 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th | Representative, Akbayan (2004–2010) | Akbayan | |
 | Leila de Lima (born 1959) | 2016 | 2016–2022 | 17th, 18th | Secretary of Justice (2010–2015) | Liberal | |
 | Imee Marcos (born 1955) | 2019 2025 | 2019–present | 18th, 19th 20th | Representative, Ilocos Norte's 2nd district (1998–2007) Governor of Ilocos Norte (2010–2019) | Nacionalista | |
 | Camille Villar (born 1985) | 2025 | 2025–present | 20th | Representative, Las Piñas's lone district (2019–2025) | Nacionalista | |
Women voted for their right suffrage and to run for public office in the 1937 Philippine women's suffrage plebiscite. The National Assembly was a unicameral legislature at this time. The 1940 Philippine constitutional plebiscites restored, among other things, the bicameral Congress, and the Senate was first elected in 1941.
| Congress | Session | Election | Elected | Composition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Commonwealth Congress | 1941 | 0 / 24 | 0 / 24 | |
| 2nd Commonwealth Congress | 1st–2nd | 1946 | 0 / 24 | 0 / 24 |
| 1st Congress | ||||
| 3rd–4th | 1947 | 1 / 16 | 1 / 24 | |
| 2nd Congress | 1st–2nd | 1949 | 0 / 8 | 1 / 24 |
| 3rd–4th | 1951 | 0 / 9 | 1 / 24 | |
| 3rd Congress | 1st–2nd | 1953 | 0 / 8 | 0 / 24 |
| 3rd–4th | 1955 | 1 / 9 | 1 / 24 | |
| 4th Congress | 1st–2nd | 1957 | 0 / 8 | 1 / 24 |
| 3rd–4th | 1959 | 0 / 8 | 1 / 24 | |
| 5th Congress | 1st–2nd | 1961 | 1 / 8 | 1 / 24 |
| 3rd–4th | 1963 | 1 / 8 | 2 / 24 | |
| 6th Congress | 1st–2nd | 1965 | 1 / 8 | 3 / 24 |
| 3rd–4th | 1967 | 1 / 8 | 3 / 24 | |
| 7th Congress | 1st–2nd | 1969 | 0 / 8 | 3 / 24 |
| 3rd–4th | 1971 | 1 / 8 | 3 / 24 | |
| 8th Congress | 1987 | 2 / 24 | 2 / 24 | |
| 9th Congress | 1992 | 4 / 24 | 4 / 24 | |
| 10th Congress | 1995 | 3 / 12 | 4 / 24 | |
| 11th Congress | 1998 | 2 / 12 | 4 / 24 | |
| 12th Congress | 2001 | 1 / 13 | 3 / 24 | |
| 13th Congress | 2004 | 3 / 12 | 4 / 24 | |
| 14th Congress | 2007 | 1 / 12 | 4 / 24 | |
| 15th Congress | 2010 | 2 / 12 | 3 / 24 | |
| 16th Congress | 2013 | 4 / 12 | 6 / 24 | |
| 17th Congress | 2016 | 2 / 12 | 6 / 24 | |
| 18th Congress | 2019 | 5 / 12 | 7 / 24 | |
| 19th Congress | 2022 | 2 / 12 | 7 / 24 | |
| 20th Congress | 2025 | 3 / 12 | 5 / 24 | |
