Senate of the Philippines
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Senators serve 6-year terms, with half of the senators elected every 3 years. This way, the Senate is a continuous body. When the Senate was restored by 1987 Constitution the 24 senators who were elected in 1987 served until 1992. In 1992 the candidates for the Senate obtaining the 12 highest number of votes served until 1998, while the next 12 served until 1995 only. Thereafter, each senator elected serves the full 6 years.
The Senate is the only body authorized to ratify treaties.
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History of the Senate
From 1907-1916, the Philippine Commission headed by the U.S. Governor-General served as the upper chamber of the colonial legislature at the same time exercised executive powers. On August 29, 1916 the United States Congress enacted the "Philippine Autonomy Act" or popularly known as the "Jones Law" which paved the way for the creation of a bicameral Philippine Congress wherein the Senate served as the upper chamber and while the House of Representatives as the lower chamber of it.
This setup continued until 1935, when the "Philippine Independence Act" or the "Tydings-McDuffie Act" was provided by the U.S. Congress which granted the Filipinos the right to frame their own constitution in preparation for their independence, wherein they established a unicameral National Assembly, effectively abolishing the Senate. Not long after the adoption of the 1935 Constitution several amendments were introduced into it, which included restoring the Senate as the upper chamber of Congress. The Senate served as the upper chamber of Congress from thereon until the declaration of martial law of Pres. Ferdinand Marcos in 1972 which shutdown Congress. The Senate was resurrected in 1987 upon the ratification of the 1987 Constitution.
From 1916 to 1935, the Philippines was divided into 12 Senatorial districts, each district grouped several provinces and each elected 2 senators except for "non-Christian" provinces where the U.S. Governor-General appointed the senators for the district, but this was discontinued in 1941 when the Senate was reestablished, wherein all senators were started to be elected nationally. In the senate, the officers are the Senate President, Senate President Pro-Tempore, Majority Floor Leader, Minority Floor Leader, Senate Secretary
Famous Senators
- Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (1992-1998), current Philippine president
- Benigno Aquino Jr., Marcos opposition leader and husband of Philippine President Corazon Aquino.
- Joseph Estrada, former Philippine president
- Raul Manglapus, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and former presidential candidate
- Ferdinand Marcos, former Philippine president, the last Senator to be elected President
- Blas Ople, former Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and former Secretary of Foreign Affairs
- Aquilino Pimentel, Jr., activist and current Senator
- Gil Puyat, statesman
- Jovito Salonga, Three time top elected senator, Marcos opposition leader, former PCGG Chairman.
- Lorenzo Tañada, statesman
- Arturo Tolentino, former Philippine vice-president
- Manuel Villar (2001-present), current senator
- Claro M. Recto, former senator
- Miriam Defensor Santiago, former presidential candidate and current Senator.
- Fermin Torralba, prominent Visayan senator & current Senate Secretariat during the Early Philippine Republic.
- Juan Ponce Enrile, former Minister of National Defense under Marcos and current Senator.
- Luisa Ejercito Estrada, the first First Lady to win a seat in the Senate, also a wife of a former Senator.
Latest election
| Rank | Candidate | Party | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Manuel Roxas II | K-4 - Liberal Party | 19,372,888 |
| 2. | Ramon Revilla, Jr. | K-4 - Lakas CMD | 15,801,531 |
| 3. | Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. | KNP / PDP-Laban | 13,519,998 |
| 4. | Maria Ana Consuelo Madrigal | KNP | 13,253,692 |
| 5. | Richard Gordon | K-4 - Lakas CMD | 12,707,151 |
| 6. | Pilar Juliana Cayetano | K-4 - Lakas CMD | 12,542,054 |
| 7. | Miriam Defensor-Santiago | K-4 - PRP | 12,187,401 |
| 8. | Alfredo Lim | KNP | 11,286,428 |
| 9. | Juan Ponce Enrile | KNP | 11,191,162 |
| 10. | Jinggoy Estrada | KNP - PMP | 11,094,120 |
| 11. | Manuel Lapid | K-4 - Lakas CMD | 10,970,941 |
| 12. | Rodolfo Biazon | K-4 - Liberal Party | 10,635,270 |
| 13. | Robert Barbers | K-4 - Lakas | 10,624,585 |
| 14. | Ernesto Maceda | KNP | 9,944,328 |
| 15. | John Henry Osmeña | K-4 - Independent | 9,914,179 |
| Source: Philippine Commission on Elections | |||
Important Senate bills and decisions
- 1992 vote to remove U.S. Bases from the Philippines
- Visiting Forces Agreement
See also
External links
| Senators of the 13th Congress of the Philippines |  |
Angara |Arroyo |Biazon |Cayetano |Drilon |L. Estrada |J. Estrada |Enrile |Flavier |Gordon |Lacson |Lapid |
Categories
National legislatures | National upper houses | Government of the Philippines | Politics of the Philippines | Legislatures of the Philippines