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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 23 Filipino women senators in Philippine history. In the ongoing 19th Congress, there are 7 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.
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. She was also the youngest senator during the 11th Congress.
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.
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.
Santanina Rasul is the first Filipina Muslim senator.
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. [2]
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. [3] She later resigned the post due to suspected ME/CFS, which turned out to be lung cancer. [4] [5]
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was the first female senator who was elected as Vice President (1998–2001) and later installed to the presidency (2001–2010).
Risa Hontiveros is the Philippines' first socialist woman senator, representing the Akbayan party.
| # | Senator | Full name | Election | Years in service | Congress | Prior political experience | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magnolia Antonino | Magnolia Rodriguez Welborn-Antonino | 1967 | 1967–1972 | 6th, 7th | Representative, from La Union's 1st district (1965–1967) | Nacionalista | |
| 2 | Tessie Aquino-Oreta | Maria Teresa Aquino Aquino-Oreta | 1998 | 1998–2004 | 11th 12th | Representative, Malabon-Navotas's lone district (1987–1998) | LDP | |
| 3 | Helena Z. Benitez | Helena Zoila Tirona Benitez | 1967 | 1967–1972 | 6th, 7th | Nacionalista | ||
| 4 | Nancy Binay | Maria Lourdes Nancy Sombillo Binay Angeles | 2013 2019 | 2013–present | 16th, 17th 18th, 19th | Personal assistant to Vice President Jejomar Binay (2010–2013) | UNA | |
| 5 | Pia Cayetano | Pilar Juliana Schramm Cayetano | 2004 2010 2019 | 2004–2016 2019–present | 13th, 14th 15th, 16th 18th, 19th | Representative, Taguig's Lone district (2016–2019) | Nacionalista | |
| 6 | Nikki Coseteng | Anna Dominique Marquez-Lim Coseteng | 1992 1995 | 1992–2001 | 9th 10th 11th | Representative, Quezon City's 3rd district (1987–1992) | NPC | |
| 7 | Leila de Lima | Leila Norma Eulalia Josefa Magistrado de Lima | 2016 | 2016–2022 | 17th, 18th | Secretary of Justice (2010–2015) | Liberal | |
| 8 | Miriam Defensor-Santiago | Miriam Palma Defensor-Santiago | 1995 2004 2010 | 1995–2001 2004–2016 | 10th 11th 13th 14th 15th 16th | Secretary of Agrarian Reform (1989–1990) | PRP | |
| 9 | Loi Ejercito | Luisa Fernandez Pimentel-Ejercito | 2001 | 2001–2007 | 12th, 13th | First Lady of the Philippines (1998–2001) | Independent (to 2004) | |
| PMP | ||||||||
| 10 | Eva Estrada-Kalaw | Eva Reynada Estrada-Kalaw | 1965 1971 | 1965–1972 | 6th, 7th | Nacionalista | ||
| 11 | Risa Hontiveros | Ana Theresia Navarro Hontiveros-Baraquel | 2016 2022 | 2016–present | 17th, 18th, 19th | Representative, Akbayan (2004–2010) | Akbayan | |
| 12 | Maria Kalaw-Katigbak | Maria Villanueva Kalaw-Katigbak | 1961 | 1961–1967 | 5th, 6th | None | Liberal | |
| 13 | Loren Legarda | Lorna Regina Bautista Legarda | 1998 2007 2013 2022 | 1998–2004, 2007–2019, 2022–present | 11th, 12th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 19th | Representative, Antique's Lone district (2019–2022) | Lakas (to 2003) | |
| Independent (2004) | ||||||||
| NPC (2nd/3rd/4th terms) | ||||||||
| 14 | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo | Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo | 1992 1995 | 1992–1998 | 9th, 10th | Undersecretary of Trade and Industry (1989–1992) | Lakas | |
| 15 | Jamby Madrigal | Maria Ana Consuelo Abad Santos Madrigal-Valade | 2004 | 2004–2010 | 13th 14th | Presidential Adviser for Children's Affairs (1999–2001) | LDP (to 2007) | |
| PDP–Laban (to 2009) | ||||||||
| Independent | ||||||||
| 16 | Pacita Madrigal-Warns | Maria Paz Paterno Madrigal-Warns | 1955 | 1955–1961 | 3rd, 4th | Secretary of Social Welfare and Development (1953–1955) | Nacionalista | |
| 17 | Imee Marcos | Maria Imelda Josefa Remedios Romualdez Marcos | 2019 | 2019–present | 18th, 19th | Representative, Ilocos Norte's 2nd district (1998–2007) Governor of Ilocos Norte (2010–2019) | Nacionalista | |
| 18 | Geronima Pecson | Geronima Palisoc Tomelden Pecson | 1947 | 1947–1953 | 1st, 2nd | Assistant Executive Secretary to President Manuel Roxas | Liberal | |
| 19 | Grace Poe | Mary Grace Natividad Sonora Poe Llamanzares | 2013 2019 | 2013–present | 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th | Chair, Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (2010–2012) | Independent | |
| 20 | Leticia Ramos-Shahani | Leticia Valdez Ramos-Shahani | 1987 1992 | 1987–1998 | 8th, 9th, 10th | Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs (1981–1986) | LDP (to 1992) | |
| Lakas | ||||||||
| 21 | Nina Rasul | Santanina Centi Tillah Rasul | 1987 1992 | 1987–1995 | 8th, 9th | Commissioner for Muslim and Other Ethnic Minorities (1978–1987) | Liberal (to 1992) | |
| Lakas | ||||||||
| 22 | Cynthia Villar | Cynthia Ampaya Aguilar Villar | 2013 2019 | 2013-present | 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th | Representative, Las Piñas's lone district (2001–2010) | Nacionalista | |
| 23 | Tecla Ziga | Tecla San Andres-Ziga | 1963 | 1963–1969 | 5th, 6th | Secretary of Social Welfare and Development (1962–1963) | Liberal | |
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.
Joseph "Erap" Ejercito Estrada is a Filipino politician and former actor, who served as the 13th President of the Philippines from 1998 until his removal in 2001, the 9th Vice President of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998, and the 22nd Mayor of Manila from 2013 to 2019, also served as the 14th Mayor of San Juan from 1969 to 1986. In 2001, he became the first chief executive in Asia to be formally impeached.
The Senate of the Philippines is the upper house of Congress, the bicameral legislature of the Philippines, with the House of Representatives as the lower house. The Senate is composed of 24 senators who are elected at-large under a plurality-at-large voting system.
Joseph Victor Gomez Ejercito, also known as JV Ejercito Estrada or simply JV Ejercito, is a Filipino politician and businessman serving as a Senator since 2022 and previously from 2013 to 2019. He had also served as the representative of San Juan from 2010 to 2013 and was the city's mayor from 2001 to 2010. He is a son of former president Joseph Estrada, and a half-brother of Senator Jinggoy Estrada.
Miriam Palma Defensor-Santiago was a Filipino scholar, academic, lawyer, judge, author, and stateswoman who served in all three branches of the Philippine government: judicial, executive, and legislative. Defensor Santiago was named one of The 100 Most Powerful Women in the World in 1997 by The Australian. She was known for being a long-serving Senator of the Republic of the Philippines, an elected judge of the International Criminal Court, and the sole female recipient of the Philippines' highest national honor, the Quezon Service Cross.
The 2001 election of members to the Senate of the Philippines was the 27th election to the Senate of the Philippines. It was held on Monday, May 14, 2001, to elect 12 of the 24 seats and one mid-term vacancy in the Senate. Independent candidate Noli de Castro, a journalist and former television anchor, was announced as the topnotcher. This became the first synchronized national and local elections held after the ouster of former President Joseph Estrada in January due to a military-backed civilian uprising, popularly known as EDSA II.
The People's Reform Party is a political party in the Philippines. Founded on April 12, 1991, as the political party of former Agrarian Reform Secretary Miriam Defensor Santiago for her bid as president in the 1992 Presidential Elections. During the 1992 Elections, the party nominated Santiago as president and Ramon "Jun" Magsaysay, Jr. as vice president, however both Santiago and Magsaysay lost the elections to former Defense Secretary Fidel Ramos and then-Senator Joseph Estrada, respectively. The Force of Reform Philippines (FORPH) serves as the official youth-wing of the People's Reform Party. While under the same Miriam Defensor Santiago wing, the Youth Reform Movement is not related to the PRP.
Jose Pimentel Ejercito Jr., 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 president pro tempore of the Senate, having been elected for the second time in 2024 and previously holding the position from 2007 to 2013, He briefly became the Acting Senate President in 2013 after Juan Ponce Enrile's resignation, Before serving in the Senate, he was the vice mayor (1988–1992) and later mayor (1992–2001) of San Juan when it was still a municipality.
A senatorial election was held on November 11, 1969 in the Philippines. While incumbent President Ferdinand Marcos won an unprecedented second full term as President of the Philippines, and his running mate, incumbent Vice President Fernando Lopez was also elected to a third full term as Vice President of the Philippines, their Nacionalista Party-mates also won six of the eight contested seats in the Philippine Senate increasing their majority in the Senate.
Elections for the members of the Senate were held on November 10, 1953 in the Philippines. Incumbent President Elpidio Quirino of the Liberal Party lost his opportunity to get a second full term as President of the Philippines to former Defense Secretary Ramon Magsaysay of the Nacionalista Party. Quirino's running mate, Senator Jose Yulo lost to Senator Carlos P. Garcia. Vice President Fernando Lopez did not run for re-election and ran for the Senate instead, in which he emerged as the candidate with the most votes. This was the first time that an elected president did not come from the Senate. To further compound the Liberal Party's woes, they also failed to win any seats in the Senate in this election.
A plebiscite was held in the Philippines on April 30, 1937, to decide whether or not women could vote. Multiple women's movements started in 1910, which led to the plebiscite in 1937, where women voted for or against women's suffrage rights. Filipino women worked hard to mobilize and fight for women's suffrage in the early 1900s and gained victory after 447,725 out of 500,000 votes affirmed women's right to vote.
A senatorial election was held on November 12, 1963 in the Philippines. The 1963 elections were known as a midterm election as the date when the elected officials take office falls halfway through President Diosdado Macapagal's four-year term.
Elections for the Senate of the Philippines were held on November 11, 1947, with eight of the 24 seats in the Senate being contested. These eight seats were elected regularly; the winners were eligible to serve six-year terms from December 30, 1947, until December 30, 1953. Gubernatorial and local elections were held on the same date.
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 uses plurality-at-large voting for seats in the Senate: the twelve candidates with the highest number of votes wins the twelve seats up for election.
Presidential and vice presidential elections, legislative elections and local elections were held in the Philippines on May 11, 1992. An estimated 80,000 candidates ran for 17,000 posts from the presidency down to municipal councillors in the first general election under the 1987 Constitution. Even though she was permitted by the Constitution to run for a second term, President Corazon Aquino did not stand for re-election.
The 2013 election of members to the Senate of the Philippines was the 31st election to the Senate of the Philippines. It was held on Monday, May 13, 2013, to elect 12 of the 24 seats in the Senate. The winners in this election joined the winners of the 2010 election to form the 16th Congress of the Philippines. The senators elected in 2010 will serve until June 30, 2016, while the senators elected in this election will serve up to June 30, 2019. The elections to the House of Representatives as well as local elections occurred on the same date. The Philippines use plurality-at-large voting for seats in the Senate: the twelve candidates with the highest number of votes win the twelve seats up for election. The Senate seat vacated by President Benigno Aquino III in 2010 was among the twelve seats to be put for election.
Victor "Vic" San Andres Ziga was a Filipino politician who served as senator in the 8th Congress. He was an assemblyman for Albay in the Regular Batasang Pambansa prior to getting elected as senator. He also served as Governor of Albay and cabinet minister in the Corazon Aquino administration.
Geronima Josefa Tomelden Pecson was an educator, suffragette, and social worker who became the first woman senator of the Philippines in 1947 and the first woman member of the Executive Board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1950.
Tecla Ravago San Andres Ziga was a female senator in the Philippines notable for being the first woman in the country to top the bar examination for law-degree graduates.
The 2016 election of members to the Senate of the Philippines was the 32nd election of members to the Senate of the Philippines. It was held on Monday, May 9, 2016, The seats of 12 senators elected in 2010 were filled during this election. The winners in this election joined the winners of the 2013 election to form the 17th Congress of the Philippines. The senators elected in 2013 served until June 30, 2019, while the senators elected in this election would serve up to June 30, 2022.
