The Senate of the Philippines is the upper house of Congress of 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 plurality-at-large voting.
The 2004 election of members to the Senate of the Philippines was the 28th election to the Senate of the Philippines. It was held on Monday, May 10, 2004, to elect 12 of the 24 seats in the Senate. The major coalitions that participated are the Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan, composed of parties that support the candidacy of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino, composed of parties that support the candidacy of film actor Fernando Poe Jr. coalition. The Alyansa ng Pag-asa was a minor coalition made up of Aksyon Demokratiko and Partido para sa Demokratikong Reporma–Lapiang Manggagawa. K4 won seven seats, while the KNP won the remaining five contested seats.
Aquilino Quilinging Pimentel Jr., commonly known as Nene Pimentel, was a Filipino politician and human rights lawyer who was one of the leading political opposition leaders during the regime of Ferdinand Marcos from the declaration of martial law in 1972 until the People Power Revolution in 1986, which removed Marcos from power. He co-founded the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP–Laban) and served as the President of the Senate of the Philippines from 2000 to 2001. He is the father of incumbent senator and former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III. In 2018, Pimentel was identified by the Human Rights Victims' Claims Board as a Motu Proprio human rights violations victim of the Martial Law Era.
The Second EDSA Revolution, also known as the Second People Power Revolution, EDSA 2001, or EDSA II, was a political protest from January 17–20, 2001 which peacefully overthrew the government of Joseph Estrada, the thirteenth president of the Philippines. Following allegations of corruption against Estrada and his subsequent investigation by Congress, impeachment proceedings against the president were opened on January 16. The decision by several senators not to examine a letter which would purportedly prove Estrada's guilt sparked large protests at the EDSA Shrine in Metro Manila, and calls for Estrada's resignation intensified in the following days, with the Armed Forces withdrawing their support for the president on January 19. On January 20 Estrada resigned and fled Malacañang Palace with his family. He was succeeded by Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who had been sworn into the presidency by Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. several hours earlier.
Franklin Magtunao Drilon is a Filipino lawyer and former politician. He had the longest tenure in the Senate of the Philippines, having served four non-consecutive terms overall: from 1995 to 2007 and 2010 to 2022. He has served thrice as president of the Senate: in 2000, from 2001 to 2006, and from 2013 to 2016.
The 12th Congress of the Philippines, composed of the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives, met from July 23, 2001, until June 4, 2004, during the first three years of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's presidency. The convening of the 12th Congress followed the 2001 general elections, which replaced half of the Senate membership, and the entire membership of the House of Representatives.
Ralph Gonzalez Recto is a Filipino politician currently serving as the 33rd Secretary of Finance under President Bongbong Marcos since January 12, 2024. He previously served as the representative for Batangas' 6th district and as the House Deputy Speaker from 2022 to 2024.
The 14th Congress of the Philippines, composed of the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives, met from July 23, 2007, until June 9, 2010, during the last three years of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's presidency. The convening of the 14th Congress followed the 2007 general elections, which replaced half of the Senate membership and the entire membership of the House of Representatives. It celebrated the centennial year of the Philippine legislature.
The Senate Majority and Minority Leaders are the two Senators of the Philippines who are elected by their respective parties or coalitions as their official leaders. They serve as the chief spokesmen of their party with regard to their business in the Senate.
Juan Miguel"Migz"Fernandez Zubiri is a Filipino politician serving as the Senate President of the Philippines since July 25, 2022. He is currently on his third term in the Senate, first serving from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2016 to 2022. He previously served as the Senate Majority Leader from 2008 to 2010 and 2018 to 2022, and was the representative of Bukidnon's 3rd district from 1998 to 2007.
Genuine Opposition (GO) was an electoral alliance in the Philippines that contested the 2007 Philippine general election. The alliance's members were in opposition to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. It was originally called the United Opposition (UNO), founded by Makati mayor Jejomar Binay in June 2005 to unite all politicians who wanted to impeach President Arroyo. UNO then reorganized itself and changed its name to Grand and Broad Coalition (GBC), with the UNO party under that coalition. On February 15, 2007, the group changed its name again to Genuine Opposition after a meeting with Senate President Manny Villar due to the defection of senators Edgardo Angara, Tessie Aquino-Oreta, and Tito Sotto to Arroyo's senatorial slate, TEAM Unity.
Ma. Merceditas Consunji Navarro Gutierrez is a Filipino government official who is currently serving as member of the board of trustees of Government Service Insurance System (GSIS). After graduating from the Ateneo de Manila University Law School in 1973, she quickly established herself as a valuable government figure. Aside from becoming a two-time Justice Secretary of the Philippine Justice Department, Gutierrez also became the first woman to head the post of Ombudsman. She assumed the position on December 1, 2005, and resigned from office on May 6, 2011.
Teofisto "TG" de Lara Guingona III, or more commonly known as "TG" is a lawyer and the son of former vice president Teofisto "Tito" Guingona Jr. He was a congressman of the 2nd District of Bukidnon during the 13th and 14th Congress from 2004 to 2010 and a senator of the Philippines during the 15th and 16th Congress from 2010 to 2016.
The 2007 election of members to the Senate of the Philippines was the 29th election to the Senate of the Philippines. It was held on Monday, May 14, 2007, to elect 12 of the 24 seats in the Senate. Together with those elected in 2004, they will comprise the 14th Congress via plurality-at-large voting. The senators elected in 2004 will serve until June 30, 2010, while the senators elected in this election will serve up to June 30, 2013. The 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 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. Together with those elected in 2010, the candidates elected in this election shall comprise the 16th Congress. 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.
The Hello Garci scandal, also known as Gloriagate, was a political scandal and electoral crisis in the Philippines involving 14th president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who allegedly rigged the 2004 national election in her favor. The official results of the election gave Arroyo and Noli de Castro the presidency and vice-presidency respectively. Hundreds of national and local positions were also contested during this election. The scandal and crisis began in June 2005 when audio recordings of a phone call conversation between President Arroyo and then-Election Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano, allegedly talking about the rigging of the 2004 national election results, were released to the public. This escalated when the minority of the lower house of Congress attempted to impeach Arroyo. This was blocked by the Arroyo-led majority coalition in September 2005 and no trial took place.
The 2016 election of members to the Senate of the Philippines was the 32nd election of members to the Senate of the Philippines. 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.
The 2019 election of members to the Senate of the Philippines was the 33rd election of members to the Senate of the Philippines for a six-year term. It was held on May 13, 2019.
The 17th Congress of the Philippines, composed of the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives, met from July 25, 2016, until June 4, 2019, during the first three years of Rodrigo Duterte's presidency. The convening of the 17th Congress followed the 2016 general elections, which replaced half of the Senate membership and the entire membership of the House of Representatives.
