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 are 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.

Background

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. 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. Sotto previously held this position from 2018 to 2022. On May 17, Sotto revealed that a number of Senators have expressed their support for his return to the senate presidency. 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. On July 28, 2025, Escudero was re-elected to his position, garnering 19 votes, defeating Sotto's 5 votes. On September 8, 2025, Sotto reclaimed the presidency after garnering enough votes to oust Escudero.

Electoral system

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. Only half of the seats are up in every senatorial election. 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. A party may also choose to invite "guest candidates" to complete its slate. 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:

Win Gatchalian (NPC), intent unknown Gatchalian is seen as a potential vice presidential candidate for 2028. Risa Hontiveros (Akbayan), intent unknown Hontiveros is speculated to be candidate for the presidency in 2028. She is also seen as a potential vice presidential candidate. Joel Villanueva (Independent), retiring from politics Villanueva said that he is retiring from public office in 2028. Juan Miguel Zubiri (Independent), retiring from politics Zubiri announced that he will not run for public office in 2028.

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

Robin Padilla (PDP–Laban), retiring from politics Padilla stated that he is retiring in 2028 after his first term. He later said that if former president Rodrigo Duterte asks him to run as vice president as Sara Duterte's running mate under PDP–Laban, he would do so, but has no plans otherwise.

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 JV Ejercito NPC 4.64% Incumbent intent unknown

Participating parties

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. 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 Total Majority Minority 2025 2028 4 2 colspan="2" 1 3 colspan="2" 1 2 1 0 colspan="2" 0 1 colspan="2" 0 1 colspan="2" 0 1 colspan="2" 1 0 colspan="2" colspan="2" 4 2 colspan="4" Total 12 12 24 / 24

Candidates Declared The following individuals have publicly declared their intention to run for the Senate in the 2028 elections: Anjo Yllana (PDP), actor and former member of the Quezon City Council from the fifth district Rowena Guanzon (Independent), former COMELEC and COA Commissioner Salvador Panelo (PDP), former chief presidential legal counsel and presidential spokesperson under Rodrigo Duterte Raffy Tulfo (Independent), incumbent Senator

Potential

The following individuals have not officially declared their candidacy but are seen as likely contenders or have expressed interest in running: Claire Castro (Independent), incumbent undersecretary of the Presidential Communications Office Alan Peter Cayetano (Independent), incumbent Senator JV Ejercito (NPC), incumbent Senator Francis Escudero (NPC), incumbent Senator Jinggoy Estrada (PMP), incumbent Senator Loren Legarda (NPC), incumbent Senator Mark Villar (Nacionalista), incumbent Senator TG Guingona (KANP), former Senator Teodoro Casiño (Makabayan), former representative for Bayan Muna Leila De Lima (Liberal), former Senator and incumbent representative for Mamamayang Liberal Chel Diokno (Akbayan), incumbent representative for Akbayan Luke Espiritu (PLM), Lawyer and labor leader Heidi Mendoza (Independent), former COA Commissioner Vico Sotto (Independent), mayor of Pasig Francis Zamora (PFP), mayor of San Juan

Declined Gerville Luistro (Lakas), incumbent Representative for Batangas's second district Isko Moreno (Aksyon), incumbent mayor of Manila Antonio Trillanes (Aksyon), former Senator Leni Robredo (Liberal), former vice president and mayor of Naga, Camarines Sur Mike Defensor (Reform PH), Former Representative for Anakalusugan

Opinion polls

Before filing of candidacies # Jul 18–20, 2025 Feb 2–6, 2026 Apr 1–3, 2026 Jun 23–25, 2026 Jun 28–Jul 6, 2026 Jul 4–11, 2026Jul 13–16, 2026Aug 12−15, 2026Sample size: 2,400Sample size: 2,000Sample size: 1,500Sample size: 1,500Sample size: 2,400Sample size: 1,200Sample size: 1,438Sample size: 2,400 Tangere TangereTangereTangerePulse AsiaOCTAMomentum ResearchTangereName%Name%Name%Name%Name%Name%Name%Name% 1 Sotto 61.00 R. Tulfo 49.80 R. Tulfo44.80 R. Tulfo37.60 Padilla48.40 Padilla53.90 Padilla43.90Sotto42.10 2 R. Tulfo 55.26 Poe 43.50 Poe 40.10 Sotto36.90 Sotto47.90 R. Tulfo47.40 Cayetano43.40 S. Duterte 37.00 3 Poe 46.05 Cayetano 38.00 Legarda39.30 Poe35.60 R. Tulfo43.90 Cayetano45.40 R. Tulfo38.20 R. Tulfo36.50 4 Escudero 37.66 Legarda 38.00 Moreno38.20 Moreno34.70 Cayetano43.20 Poe44.50 S. Duterte34.80 Padilla36.00 5 Legarda 37.00 P. Duterte 37.10 S. Duterte37.90 S. Duterte34.30 Legarda40.30 Sotto42.00 Poe33.70Poe35.80 6 S. Duterte 36.57 S. Duterte 36.60P. Duterte36.90 P. Duterte34.10 Pacquiao35.60 Legarda39.00 Sotto 32.90Cayetano32.30 7 Cayetano 34.80 Gatchalian 34.40Cayetano36.40 Padilla32.30 N. Binay32.40 Pacquiao34.50 Legarda31.00 P. Duterte31.60 8 B. Tulfo 32.22 Pacquiao 31.20Escudero31.90 Escudero30.90 Angara27.20 P. Duterte34.30 Pacquiao24.20Robredo30.80 9 Padilla 30.08 Escudero 30.20Pacquiao29.30 Angara28.30 Villar26.10 B. Tulfo31.00 N. Binay23.60 Moreno30.80 10 Abalos 29.00 B. Tulfo 30.10Angara29.20 Pacquiao26.10 B. Tulfo20.70 A. Binay26.10 Escudero23.00B. Tulfo28.70 11 Angara 27.65 Belmonte 29.30Gatchalian24.80 Cayetano25.00 Estrada19.50 Estrada25.50 P. Duterte22.40Pacquiao28.00 12 Revilla 26.74 Angara 28.40B. Tulfo24.10 Diokno20.30 Revillame19.00 Lapid25.00 C. Villar19.10Diokno25.10 13 Gatchalian 25.87 Diokno 27.40Diokno22.30 Abalos19.90 Escudero17.20 Escudero23.20 Estrada18.30Escudero24.30 14 Estrada 25.00 Ejercito 24.60Dantes21.70 Legarda19.60 Defensor17.10 Pimentel21.20 B. Tulfo 17.60Angara21.50 15 A. Binay 24.60 Abalos 23.40Abalos21.30 Gatchalian19.40 Roxas17.10 M. Villar19.50 A. Binay15.00Legarda20.6016 rowspan="9" colspan="3" Tolentino21.70A. Binay20.50 rowspan="9" colspan="3" Abalos17.00 Angara19.20 Angara14.60Gatchalian18.4017Bosita21.60Bosita19.90 Lapid16.90 Panelo18.40 M. Villar14.50Abalos18.3018A. Binay21.40Bondoc19.00 Salvador14.90 Ejercito18.10 Pimentel13.50Dantes17.8019Bondoc21.20N. Binay17.40Bondoc14.90 Honasan16.90 Ejercito 12.90N. Binay17.4020Pimentel20.90Belmonte17.30Ejercito14.20 Salvador16.30Revilla12.70Tolentino16.7021de Lima19.80Ejercito16.30Tolentino14.00 Torre15.50 Diokno12.40A. Binay16.1022Zamora19.80de Lima15.90de Lima13.60 Revillame15.10Salvador11.80Mata15.1023N. Binay19.50Defensor15.70Gatchalian13.40 Bosita14.90 Tolentino11.40Belmonte14.5024Mata19.40Mata15.40Revilla13.10 de Lima13.70de Lima11.40Bondoc13.70

Notes

References

External links Official website of the Commission on Elections