2028 Philippine Senate election

The 2028 Philippine Senate election will be the 36th election of members to the Senate of the Philippines. It is scheduled to be held on May 8, 2028, within the 2028 Philippine general election. The seats of the 12 senators elected in 2022 were going to be contested in this election. The senators who will be elected in this election will serve until 2034, joining the winners of the 2025 election to form the Senate's delegation to the 21st Congress of the Philippines, with the senators elected in 2025 serving until 2031.

2028 Philippine Senate election

← 2025 May 8, 2028 (2028-05-08) 2031 →
← Outgoing senators (elected 2022)
12 (of the 24) seats to the Senate of the Philippines 13 seats needed for a majority
Composition of the Senate before the election, with the seats up for election inside the box.
Incumbent Senate President Francis Escudero NPC

Background

See also: 2025 Philippine Senate election and 20th Congress of the Philippines

In the 2025 election, the administration slate Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas backed by president Bongbong Marcos won a plurality of the seats in the Philippine Senate.^[1] Leading up to the opening of the 20th Congress, Senator-elect Tito Sotto expressed his openness to becoming Senate president if he has sufficient support to be elected.^[2] Sotto previously held this position from 2018 until 2022. On May 17, Sotto revealed that a number of Senators have expressed their support for his return to the senate presidency.^[3] In response, Senate President Francis Escudero, who has held the position since 2024, said it is up to the majority on who will lead the Senate in the next Congress.^[4] On July 28, 2025, Escudero was re-elected to his position, garnering 19 votes, defeating Sotto's 5 votes.^[5][6]

Electoral system

Main article: Philippine Senate elections

The Philippines has a 24-member Senate elected at-large. Every three years since 1995, 12 seats are contested. For 2028, the seats last elected in 2022 will be contested. Each voter has 12 votes, of which one can vote for one to twelve candidates, or a multiple non-transferable vote; the twelve candidates with the most votes are elected.

Senators are limited to serving two consecutive terms, although they are eligible for a third (and succeeding) non-consecutive term.^[7] Only half of the seats are up in every senatorial election.^[8] The winning Senators will succeed those elected in 2022, and will join those elected in 2025 to form the 21st Congress.

Each party or coalition endorses a slate of candidates, typically not exceeding a 12-person ticket.^[9] A party may also choose to invite "guest candidates" to complete its slate. ^[10] The party may even include, with the candidates' consent, independent candidates and candidates from other parties as the party's guest candidates. Parties also may form coalitions to endorse a multi-party slate of candidates.

Winning candidates are proclaimed by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), sitting as the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC). The NBOC usually proclaims Senators-elect by batches, if that candidate can no longer fall to worse than twelfth place in the tally. Post-proclamation disputes are handled by the Senate Electoral Tribunal, a body composed of six Senators and three justices from the Supreme Court.

As this election is held concurrently with a presidential election, presidential candidates may present a senatorial ticket of candidates.

Term-limited and retiring incumbents

Term-limited incumbents

The following are serving a successive six-year term and are barred from seeking reelection:

1. Win Gatchalian (NPC), intent unknown

   Gatchalian is seen as a potential vice presidential candidate for 2028.^[11][12]

2. Risa Hontiveros (Akbayan), intent unknown

   Hontiveros is speculated to be candidate for the presidency in 2028.^{[13][14][12][15]} She is also seen as a potential vice presidential candidate.^[16]

3. Joel Villanueva (Independent), retiring from politics

   Villanueva said that he is retiring from public office in 2028.^[17]

4. Juan Miguel Zubiri (Independent), retiring from politics

   Zubiri announced that he will not run for public office in 2028.^[18]

Retiring incumbents

The following senator's term is ending in 2028, is eligible to run, but plans to retire:

1. Robin Padilla (PDP), retiring from politics

   Padilla stated that he is retiring in 2028 after his first term.^[19]

Marginal seats

These are the marginal seats that had a winning margin of 5% or less against the 13th placed candidate in the 2022 election, in ascending order via margin:

Incumbent		Party	2022 margin	2028 results
	Jinggoy Estrada	PMP	3.32%	Incumbent intent unknown
	Risa Hontiveros	Akbayan	3.88%	Incumbent term-limited[20]
	JV Ejercito	NPC	4.64%	Incumbent intent unknown

Participating parties

See also: List of political parties in the Philippines

In both chambers of Congress, members are organized into "blocs", akin to parliamentary groups elsewhere. In keeping with the traditions of the Third Philippine Republic which was under a two-party system, there are two main blocs, the majority and minority blocs; this is although the country is now in a multi-party system. Those who voted for the Senate President are from the majority bloc, while those who did not (if there are more than two candidates for the Senate Presidency) will vote amongst themselves on who will be the minority bloc. Those who belong to neither bloc shall be the independent minority bloc. Members can also be from the independent bloc.^[21] Each bloc can have members from multiple parties. Only the majority and minority blocs have voting privileges in committees.

Parties in the Senate at the end of the 20th Congress of the Philippines

Party		Current seats			Bloc membership			Political affiliation
		Up	Not Up	Total	Majority	Minority	Other	2025		2028
	NPC	4	2	6 / 24	TBD	TBD	TBD		Alyansa	TBA
	Akbayan	1	0	1 / 24	TBD	TBD	TBD		KiBam	TBA
	Nacionalista	1	3	4 / 24	TBD	TBD	TBD		Alyansa	TBA
	PDP	1	2	3 / 24	TBD	TBD	TBD		DuterTen	TBA
	PMP	1	0	1 / 24	TBD	TBD	TBD	—		TBA
	KANP	0	1	1 / 24	TBD	TBD	TBD		KiBam	TBA
	Lakas	0	1	1 / 24	TBD	TBD	TBD		Alyansa	TBA
	Liberal	0	1	1 / 24	TBD	TBD	TBD		KiBam	TBA
	PFP	0	0	0 / 24	—				Alyansa	TBA
	Independent	4	2	6 / 24	TBD	TBD	TBD	—
Total		12	12	24 / 24

Candidates

Declared

The following individuals have publicly declared their intention to run for the Senate in the 2028 elections:

• Raffy Tulfo (Independent), incumbent Senator^[22]

Potential

The following individuals have not officially declared their candidacy but are seen as likely contenders or have expressed interest in running:

• Alan Peter Cayetano (Independent), incumbent Senator^[23]
• JV Ejercito (NPC), incumbent Senator^[23]
• Francis Escudero (NPC), incumbent Senator^[24]
• Jinggoy Estrada (PMP), incumbent Senator^[23]
• Loren Legarda (NPC), incumbent Senator^[23]
• Mark Villar (Nacionalista), incumbent Senator^[25]
• Teodoro Casiño (Makabayan), former Representative for Bayan Muna^[26]
• Leila De Lima (Liberal), former Senator and incumbent Representative for Mamamayang Liberal^[27]
• Chel Diokno (Akbayan), incumbent Representative for Akbayan^[28][29]
• Luke Espiritu (PLM), Lawyer and labor leader^[26][30]
• Cielo Magno (Independent), former Finance undersecretary^[31]
• Heidi Mendoza (Independent), former COA Commissioner^[26][30]

Declined

• Robin Padilla (PDP), incumbent Senator^[19]
• Vico Sotto (Independent), Mayor of Pasig^[32][33]
• Isko Moreno (Aksyon), Mayor of Manila^[34]

Opinion polls

^[35]