Senate of the Philippines

The Senate of the Philippines (Filipino: Senado ng Pilipinas) is the upper house of Congress, 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 (the country is treated as a single district in senatorial elections) under a plurality-at-large voting system.

Senators serve six-year terms, and staggered elections are held every three years to choose half of the senators. A senator who has been elected to two consecutive terms must be out of office for at least one term before being allowed to run again. When the Senate was restored by the 1987 Constitution, transitory provisions were included to establish the staggered elections in an orderly fashion. The 24 senators who were elected in 1987 served a full term, until 1992. In 1992, there were new elections for all 24 senate seats; the 12 candidates with the highest number of votes served a full term until 1998, while the next 12 served half a term until 1995. Thereafter, 12 senators are elected every three years, and each one serves a full term. From 1945 to 1972, the Senate was a continuing body, with eight seats up for re-election every two years.

Aside from concurring in the passage of bills before they are sent to the president for signature into law, the Senate is the only body that can concur in treaties and try impeachment cases.

The president of the Senate is the presiding officer and highest-ranking official of the Senate, and is elected by the senators from among themselves. The president of the Senate is second in the Philippine presidential line of succession. As of June 2026, the position is held by Sherwin Gatchalian.