1998 Philippine Senate election

The 1998 election of members to the Senate of the Philippines was the 26th election to the Senate of the Philippines. It was held on Monday, May 11, 1998 to elect 12 of the 24 seats in the Senate. The two main competing coalitions in the senatorial election were Lakas—National Union of Christian Democrats—United Muslim Democrats of the Philippines and the Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino umbrella coalition composed of Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino, Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino, Nationalist People's Coalition, and Partido Demokratiko Pilipino—Lakas ng Bayan. The two coalitions split the 12 contested seats 7–5 in favor of LAMMP.

1998 Philippine Senate election

← 1995 May 11, 1998 2001 →
12 (of the 24) seats in the Senate 13 seats needed for a majority
Alliance Lakas LAMMP Seats won 5 7 Popular vote 93,261,379 91,421,394 Percentage 45.44 44.54
Senate President before election Neptali Gonzales LDP Elected Senate President Marcelo Fernan LDP

Electoral system

Philippine Senate elections are via pluraity block voting, with the entire country as an at-large "district". Each voter has 12 votes, and can vote for up to 12 candidates. Seats up were for the 1st to 12th placed candidates in 1992.

Candidates

The two major presidential candidates, House Speaker Jose C. de Venecia Jr. of Lakas—NUCD—UMDP and Vice President Joseph E. Estrada of LAMMP presented full 12-person senatorial slates.

Former National Defense Secretary Renato de Villa's Partido ng Demokratikong Reporma, Santiago Dumlao's Kilusan para sa Pambansang Pagpapanibago, and Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim's Liberal Party also presented senatorial slates.

Oliver Lozano was the sole independent not included in senatorial slates who was allowed to run.

Administration coalition Lakas–NUCD–UMDP ticket Lisandro Abadia Lakas Rolando Andaya Lakas Robert Barbers Lakas Rene Cayetano Lakas Roberto De Ocampo Lakas Ricardo Gloria Lakas Teofisto Guingona Jr. Lakas Loren Legarda Lakas Roberto Pagdanganan Lakas Hernando Perez Lakas Nina Rasul Lakas Ramon Revilla Sr. Lakas

Primary opposition coalition Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino ticket Tessie Aquino-Oreta LDP Ramon Bagatsing Jr. LDP Rodolfo Biazon LDP Robert Jaworski PMP Edcel Lagman LDP Blas Ople LDP John Henry Osmeña NPC Nene Pimentel PDP–Laban Miguel Luis Romero LDP Tito Sotto LDP Ruben Torres Independent Freddie Webb LDP

Other opposition coalitions

Partido para sa Demokratikong Reporma–Lapiang Manggagawa ticket Adolfo Geromino Reporma–LM Rey Langit Reporma–LM Roberto Sebastian Reporma–LM Roy Señeres Reporma–LM Hadja Putri Tamano Reporma–LM Jose Villegas Reporma–LM Haydee Yorac Reporma–LM Abraham Iribani Reporma–LM

Liberal Party ticket Raul Daza Liberal Charito Plaza Liberal Kilusan para sa Pambansang Pagbabago ticket Ludovico Badoy BAGO Eduardo Bondoc BAGO David Castro BAGO Renato Garcia BAGO Fred Henry Marallag BAGO

Independents

Independent candidates

Oliver Lozano		Independent

Retiring and term limited incumbents

1. Heherson Alvarez (LDP), term limited, ran for representative from Isabela's 4th district and won; ran for senator in 2004 and lost
2. Edgardo Angara (LDP), term limited, ran for Vice President of the Philippines and lost; ran for senator in 2001 and won
3. Neptali Gonzales (LDP), term limited, retired from politics
4. Ernesto Herrera (LDP), term limited, ran for representative from Bohol's 1st district and won; ran for senator in 2001 and in 2004 and lost both times
5. Ernesto Maceda (NPC), term limited, ran for mayor of Manila and lost; ran for senator in 2004 and lost
6. Orlando S. Mercado (LDP), term limited, was subsequently appointed as Secretary of National Defense; ran for senator in 2001 and in 2004 and lost both times
7. Alberto Romulo (LDP), term limited
8. Leticia Ramos-Shahani (Lakas), term limited, retired from politics

Incumbents running elsewhere

These all won in the 1995 election, and if lost, would have still returned to finish their six-year Senate term.

1. Miriam Defensor Santiago (PRP), ran for President of the Philippines and lost
2. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (Lakas), ran for Vice President of the Philippines and won
3. Raul Roco (Aksyon), ran for President of the Philippines and lost
4. Francisco Tatad (GAD), ran for Vice President of the Philippines and lost

Arroyo's victory in the vice presidential election meant that she would vacate her Senate seat by June 30, 1998.

Results

The Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino (LAMMP) won seven seats, while the Lakas-NUCD won five.

Three incumbents, all from LAMMP, successfully defended their seats: Blas Ople, Ramon Revilla Sr., and Tito Sotto.

There are five neophyte senators: Rene Cayetano, Loren Legarda, and Robert Barbers of Lakas, and Robert Jaworski and Tessie Aquino-Oreta of LAMMP.

Returning senators are Rodolfo Biazon, John Henry Osmeña, and Aquilino Pimentel Jr. of LAMMP, and Teofisto Guingona, Jr. of Lakas.

Freddie Webb was the sole incumbent defeated.

The election of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as Vice President of the Philippines in a concurrent election meant that her Senate seat was vacant until June 30, 2001.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Before election							‡	‡	‡	‡	‡	‡	‡	‡	‡	‡	‡	‡
Election result	Not up						LAMMP							Lakas coalition					Not up
After election							*	√	√	√	*	+	+	*	+	+	+	+						^
Senate bloc	Minority bloc		Majority bloc

Key:

• ‡ Seats up
• + Gained by a party from another party
• √ Held by the incumbent
• * Held by the same party with a new senator
• ^ Vacancy

Per candidate

Candidate		Party or alliance			Votes	%
	Loren Legarda	Lakas–NUCD–UMDP			14,933,965	50.99
	Rene Cayetano	Lakas–NUCD–UMDP			13,177,584	45.00
	Tito Sotto	Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino		Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino	11,520,678	39.34
	Nene Pimentel	Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino		PDP–Laban	10,227,765	34.92
	Robert Barbers	Lakas–NUCD–UMDP			9,768,045	33.35
	Rodolfo Biazon	Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino		Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino	9,352,964	31.94
	Blas Ople	Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino		Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino	9,278,448	31.68
	John Henry Osmeña	Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino		Nationalist People's Coalition	9,242,652	31.56
	Robert Jaworski	Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino		Partido ng Masang Pilipino	8,968,616	30.62
	Ramon Revilla Sr.	Lakas–NUCD–UMDP			8,683,500	29.65
	Teofisto Guingona Jr.	Lakas–NUCD–UMDP			7,325,343	25.01
	Tessie Aquino-Oreta	Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino		Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino	7,238,086	24.72
	Roberto Pagdanganan	Lakas–NUCD–UMDP			6,938,178	23.69
	Ruben Torres	Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino		Independent	6,923,821	23.64
	Edcel Lagman	Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino		Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino	6,831,441	23.33
	Santanina Rasul	Lakas–NUCD–UMDP			6,695,955	22.86
	Rolando Andaya Sr.	Lakas–NUCD–UMDP			5,722,871	19.54
	Roberto de Ocampo	Lakas–NUCD–UMDP			5,663,401	19.34
	Lisandro Abadia	Lakas–NUCD–UMDP			5,426,378	18.53
	Haydee Yorac	Partido para sa Demokratikong Reporma–Lapiang Manggagawa			4,618,565	15.77
	Ricardo Gloria	Lakas–NUCD–UMDP			4,589,190	15.67
	Ramon Bagatsing Jr.	Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino		Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino	4,540,475	15.50
	Freddie Webb	Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino		Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino	4,514,475	15.42
	Hernando Perez	Lakas–NUCD–UMDP			4,336,969	14.81
	Rey Langit	Partido para sa Demokratikong Reporma–Lapiang Manggagawa			3,930,085	13.42
	Raul Daza	Liberal Party			2,995,851	10.23
	Miguel Luis Romero	Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino		Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino	2,781,973	9.50
	Charito Plaza	Liberal Party			2,433,272	8.31
	Roy Señeres	Partido para sa Demokratikong Reporma–Lapiang Manggagawa			1,165,455	3.98
	Gerry Geronimo	Partido para sa Demokratikong Reporma–Lapiang Manggagawa			871,518	2.98
	Hadja Putri Zorayda Tamano	Partido para sa Demokratikong Reporma–Lapiang Manggagawa			855,738	2.92
	Roberto Sebastian	Partido para sa Demokratikong Reporma–Lapiang Manggagawa			721,824	2.46
	Jose Villegas	Partido para sa Demokratikong Reporma–Lapiang Manggagawa			608,186	2.08
	Renato Garcia	Kilusan para sa Pambansang Pagpapanibago			554,818	1.89
	David Castro	Kilusan para sa Pambansang Pagpapanibago			436,779	1.49
	Ludovico Badoy	Kilusan para sa Pambansang Pagpapanibago			388,465	1.33
	Oliver Lozano	Independent			352,037	1.20
	Abraham Iribani	Partido para sa Demokratikong Reporma–Lapiang Manggagawa			319,410	1.09
	Eduardo Bondoc	Kilusan para sa Pambansang Pagpapanibago			202,217	0.69
	Fred Henry Marallag	Kilusan para sa Pambansang Pagpapanibago			106,496	0.36
Total					205,243,489	100.00
Total votes					29,285,775	–
Registered voters/turnout					33,873,665	86.46

Per coalition

Party or alliance				Votes	%	Seats
	Lakas–NUCD–UMDP			93,261,379	45.44	5
	Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino		Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino	56,058,540	27.31	4
			PDP–Laban	10,227,765	4.98	1
			Nationalist People's Coalition	9,242,652	4.50	1
			Partido ng Masang Pilipino	8,968,616	4.37	1
			Independent	6,923,821	3.37	0
		Total		91,421,394	44.54	7
	Partido para sa Demokratikong Reporma–Lapiang Manggagawa			13,090,781	6.38	0
	Liberal Party			5,429,123	2.65	0
	Kilusan para sa Pambansang Pagbabago			1,688,775	0.82	0
	Independent			352,037	0.17	0
Total				205,243,489	100.00	12
Total votes				29,285,775	–
Registered voters/turnout				33,873,665	86.46
Source: [1]

Vote share Lakas   45.44% LAMMP   44.54% Others   10.02%

Senate seats Lakas   41.67% LAMMP   58.53% Others   0.00%

Per party

Party		Votes	%	+/–	Seats
					Up	Before	Won	After	+/−
	Lakas–NUCD–UMDP	93,261,379	45.44	+21.88	2	7	5	9	+2
	Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino	56,058,540	27.31	−7.41	9	10	4	5	−5
	Partido para sa Demokratikong Reporma	13,090,781	6.38	New	0	0	0	0	0
	PDP–Laban	10,227,765	4.98	+0.31	0	0	1	1	New
	Nationalist People's Coalition	9,242,652	4.50	−11.59	1	2	1	2	0
	Partido ng Masang Pilipino	8,968,616	4.37	New	0	0	1	1	New
	Liberal Party	5,429,123	2.65	New	0	0	0	0	0
	Kilusan para sa Pambansang Pagpapanibago	1,688,775	0.82	New	0	0	0	0	0
	Independent	7,275,858	3.54	−1.88	0	2	0	2	0
	Aksyon Demokratiko				0	1	0	1	0
	Grand Alliance for Democracy/Gabaybayan				0	1	0	1	0
	People's Reform Party				0	1	0	1	0
Vacancy					0	0	0	1	+1
Total		205,243,489	100.00	–	12	24	12	24	0
Total votes		25,736,505	–
Registered voters/turnout		36,415,154	70.68
Source: [1]

Vote share Lakas   45.44% LDP   27.31% Reporma   6.38% PDP-Laban   4.98% NPC   4.50% PMP   4.37% Independent   3.54% Others   3.48%

Senate seats won Lakas   41.67% LDP   33.33% Reporma   0.00% PDP-Laban   8.33% NPC   8.33% PMP   8.33% Independent   0.00% Others   0.00%

Defeated incumbents

1. Freddie Webb (LDP/LAMMP), ran as House representative from Pasay in 2001 and lost^[2]

See also

• Commission on Elections
• Politics of the Philippines
• Philippine elections
• President of the Philippines
• 11th Congress of the Philippines