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2028 Philippine presidential election

18th election of the Philippine president From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A presidential election is scheduled to be held in the Philippines on May 8, 2028, as part of a general election that will also determine the control of the Congress of the Philippines and numerous local positions in the country. This will be the 18th direct presidential election in the country since 1935, and will be the seventh sextennial presidential election since 1992.

Quick facts
2028 Philippine presidential election
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May 8, 2028 (2028-05-08)
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Incumbent President

Bongbong Marcos
PFP


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Incumbent president Bongbong Marcos is term-limited under the Constitution of the Philippines and is ineligible for re-election. This election will determine the 18th president of the Philippines. The president and vice president are elected separately, thus, the two winning candidates may come from different political parties.

Background

See also: 2022 Philippine presidential election and 2025 Philippine Senate election
Bongbong Marcos, the incumbent president whose term will expire at noon on June 30, 2028.

In the 2022 Philippine presidential and vice presidential elections, the UniTeam ticket of former Senator Bongbong Marcos of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) and Davao City mayor Sara Duterte of Lakas won, running on a platform that promised broad continuity of incumbent president Rodrigo Duterte's programs and policies.[1] The two became the first presidential ticket to win since 2004 and the first president and vice president to be elected by a majority since the establishment of the Fifth Republic in 1987, defeating the Liberal-led opposition ticket of incumbent vice president Leni Robredo and senator Kiko Pangilinan alongside several other candidates.[2] Being the only candidate of the opposition Team Robredo–Pangilinan alliance to be re-elected in the 2022 Senate election,[a] senator Risa Hontiveros of Akbayan emerged as the de facto leader of the opposition against Marcos and Duterte.[3][4]

During the Marcos presidency, relations between Marcos and Duterte worsened. Duterte left Lakas in May 2023 and later resigned from his cabinet in June 2024.[5] On February 5, 2025, the vice president was impeached in the House of Representatives, following Duterte's controversial use of confidential and intelligence funds and her assassination threat against Marcos and his family.[6][7] She became the first sitting vice president, and the fourth official in Philippine history, to be impeached.[8] If Duterte had been convicted, she would have been removed from office and be barred from holding any government position, including the presidency.[9]

For the 2025 midterm Senate election, Marcos formed the Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas (Alyansa) electoral alliance,[10] while former president Duterte formed a separate slate of candidates under the DuterTen in support of the vice president.[11] The traditional opposition led by Hontiveros fielded two candidates under the KiBam ticket.[12] During the campaign period, former president Duterte was arrested on charges related to the Philippine drug war. In response, the president's sister, Imee Marcos, withdrew from Alyansa.[13] Six Alyansa candidates won seats, while three DuterTen candidates were elected.[14][15] Two winning candidates, Imee and Camille Villar (an Alyansa candidate), were guest candidates on the DuterTen slate.[16] Meanwhile, both candidates from the KiBam ticket secured victories, marking a significant gain for the opposition.[17][18] Duterte ally and incumbent senator Bong Go emerged as the top-ranking candidate in the Senate race.[19]

Following the election, the Senate minority sought to formally convene the Senate as an impeachment court on June 9; the court was officially convened the following day, June 10. Senators allied with Duterte attempted to dismiss the impeachment complaint, but the Senate ultimately voted to return the articles of impeachment to the House.[20] On July 25, Duterte's impeachment was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court on the basis that the fourth impeachment case violated the one-year ban on the filing of multiple impeachment cases but maintained that it was not absolving the vice president.[21] While the House filed a motion for reconsideration, on August 6, the Senate voted to archive the articles of impeachment, with only senators Bam Aquino, Hontiveros, Pangilinan, and Tito Sotto voting against.[22]

A flood control projects scandal emerged shortly after the election, with allegations of corruption around ghost projects, substandard construction, and irregularities in the bidding process of projects around the country.[23] In response, a series of anti-corruption protests began in September 2025.[24][25]

On May 11, 2026, Duterte was impeached again, becoming the first official in Philippine history to be impeached twice,[26] and triggering a period of severe instability within the Senate. Her allies in the upper chamber ousted Sotto and elected Alan Peter Cayetano, a move incited by the return of Ronald dela Rosa following a prolonged absence due to an arrest warrant on charges related to the Philippine drug war.[27] Tensions escalated after a Senate lockdown due to a shooting incident and attempts to arrest dela Rosa failed after he left the Senate's premises.[28][29] On May 27, the minority bloc staged a walkout in opposition to a proposed rule change by the majority bloc for remote voting, which they claim was designed to accommodate dela Rosa and senators facing arrest warrants.[30][31][32] Jinggoy Estrada was later detained on plunder and graft charges, further reducing the majority bloc to ten seats.[33][34] On June 3, the minority bloc formed a quorum to declare all leadership positions vacant and installed Sherwin Gatchalian as Senate President pro tempore and acting Senate President, starting a leadership dispute. This was ultimately resolved on June 17, when Gatchalian was formally elected as Senate President, officially ousting Cayetano.[35][36] The impeachment trial is scheduled to begin on July 6.[37]

Electoral system

Main article: Presidential elections in the Philippines

Presidential elections in the Philippines are held every six years, after 1992, on the second Monday of May. Elections to the presidency use the first-past-the-post voting to determine the winner, with the candidate with the highest number of votes, whether or not one has a majority, winning the contested position.[38] The elections are held in parallel and voters may split their ticket. If two or more candidates are tied for either position, Congress shall vote from among them which shall be president, as the case may be.

The winner will serve a six-year term commencing at noon on June 30, 2028, and ending on the same day, six years later.[38]

Eligibility

The Constitution of the Philippines limits the occupancy of the presidency to natural-born citizens aged 40 on the day of the election who are registered to vote, who have been a resident of the Philippines for at least ten years immediately preceding such election, and are able to read and write.[39] Incumbent presidents who have served a complete a six-year term are term-limited while their vice president may seek reelection for a second consecutive term.[39]

Timeline

2022

2024

2025

2026

Candidates

For president

Declared

Individuals who have officially declared that they will be running
Sara Duterte
Main articles: First impeachment of Sara Duterte and Second impeachment of Sara Duterte
See also: Sara Duterte 2028 presidential campaign and Sara Duterte confidential funds controversy

Sara Duterte is the eldest daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte and has served as the 15th vice president of the Philippines since her landslide victory in the 2022 election under the UniTeam Alliance, she won alongside with Bongbong Marcos. On February 7, 2025, Duterte announced in a press conference that she is "seriously considering" running for elected office in 2028 despite her ongoing impeachment at that time, though she affirmed that she will assess her chances of being elected before making a major decision.[75] While she did not specify any position, she later confirmed that she would be seeking the presidency in such a case, motivated by discontent over the direction of the Marcos administration.[76] On February 18, 2026, Duterte formally announced her presidential bid at a press conference.[77]

Declared under certain conditions

Individuals who will announce their candidacy if a certain condition is met or occurs
Sebastian Duterte

Sebastian Duterte is the youngest son of Rodrigo Duterte the and younger brother of Sara Duterte who has served as the mayor of Davao City since 2026, succeeding his father after he failed to take office in June 2025. He is the third member of his family to serve as mayor and was later appointed as the party president of his father and the ruling party during his administration, the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino on April 11, 2026.[78] On April 13, 2026, ACT Teachers Partylist representative Antonio Tinio said that the Duterte camp is setting up Duterte as their presidential candidate if Sara is impeached. His comments came a few days after he was appointed the party president of the PDP.[79] Duterte ally and former congressman Mike Defensor confirmed on the next day that Sebastian will run for president if Sara is impeached and disqualified.[80][81]

Publicly expressed interest

The following individuals have expressed running for president but has no final decision yet.

Individuals who have expressed an interest in running for the presidential election[b]
Risa Hontiveros

Risa Hontiveros has served as a senator of the Philippines since 2016. At a press conference on May 21, 2025, Hontiveros stated her openness to a possible presidential run, although she emphasized that she remained "open to all possibilities."[82][83] She reiterated that her main priority is to unify and strengthen the opposition, and expressed confidence that a standard bearer for the liberal-progressive bloc, or a "third force," would emerge by 2028.[84] On February 2, 2026, Hontiveros said she is willing to run for president if the liberal opposition will choose her.[85] On February 25, 2026, Hontiveros said that she has been praying for readiness as she is seriously considering a run for the presidency and she expressed gratitude for the growing support from key leaders of the opposition.[86]

Speculated by the media

The following individuals have been mentioned in media discussions in the past six months as possible presidential candidates but have not publicly expressed interest in running.

Speculated by the media[c]
Bam Aquino

Bam Aquino has served as senator of the Philippines since 2025, and previously held the position from 2013 to 2019. Tony Lopez of the The Philippine Star attributed his second-place finish in the 2025 Philippine Senate election to strong support in key electoral strongholds prominent in national elections, including the Lingayen–Lucena corridor, a strength he cited in naming him as a potential presidential frontrunner in 2028.[87] By late 2025, a number of volunteer movements affiliated with Leni Robredo's 2022 presidential campaign expressed their support for Aquino in the presidential race.[88][89] In response, he distanced himself from presidential speculation and encourage his supporters to focus on his legislative agenda. At the same time, he declined a run for the vice presidency.[90]

Joy Belmonte

Joy Belmonte has served as the 12th mayor of Quezon City since 2019. She was described by former vice president and Naga, Camarines Sur, mayor Leni Robredo as a good candidate for the presidency.[91]

Mar Roxas

Mar Roxas served as the 37th secretary of the interior and local government and senator from 2004 to 2010, Roxas previously ran for president in 2016, vice president in 2010, and senator in 2019. He lost all elections, causing him to retire in 2019.[92] Representative Edgar Erice said that Roxas is being considered as a possible standard bearer of the opposition after Leni Robredo ruled out a national run, saying that Roxas has the integrity and credentials to be president and that his allies are encouraging him to reconsider a presidential bid.[91] Erice also said that Roxas could "reset" the Philippines to a progressive path.[93][94]

Declined to run for president

The following individuals have been mentioned as potential candidates but have publicly declined to run for both position.

Opinion polling

Main article: Opinion polling for the 2028 Philippine presidential election

Social research institutions in the Philippines, including Social Weather Stations (SWS), Pulse Asia, OCTA Research, have conducted surveys for the 2028 Philippine presidential election as early as 2025. In each poll, bold indicates the leading candidate whereas italics indicate runner(s)-up within the margin of error.

Before the filing of candidacy

More information Fieldwork date(s), Pollster ...
Fieldwork
date(s)		 Pollster Sample
size		 MoE Angara
LDP		 Aquino
KANP		 Belmonte
SBP		 Dizon[d]
Ind.		 R. Duterte[e]
PDP		 Sa. Duterte
HNP		 Escudero[d]
NPC		 Gatchalian
NPC		 Go
PDP		 Hontiveros
Akbayan		 Magalong
NPC		 B. Marcos[e]
PFP		 I. Marcos
Nacionalista		 S. Marcos[e]
PFP		 Moreno[d]
Aksyon		 Pacquiao
PFP		 Padilla
PDP		 Pangilinan
Liberal		 Poe
Ind.		 Remulla
NUP		 Robredo[d]
Liberal		 Romualdez
Lakas		 Singson
Ind.		 Sotto[e]
Ind.		 Torre
Ind.		 R. Tulfo[d]
Ind.		 Others Und./
None		 Ref. Lead
May 7–9, 2026 Pulse Asia[109]1,500±2.5% —0.03———51——————————————41————0.02—8—Sa. Duterte +10
March 19–25, 2026 OCTA Research[110]1,200±3.0% —4———33————————10—————21————9202—Sa. Duterte +12
March 10–17, 2026 WR Numero[111]1,455±3.0% 0.73.20.40.1—35.9——3.60.7———————1.4—0.315.7———0.018.5—19.4—Sa. Duterte +17.4
February 27 – March 2, 2026 Pulse Asia — ±2.8% — 5 — — — 43 — — — 2 — — — — — — — — 1 27 — — — — 19 — 3 — Sa. Duterte +16
February 19–20, 2026 Tangere[112]1,200±2.77% —————43———3——————————27————15—12—Sa. Duterte +16
November 21–28, 2025 WR Numero[113]1,412±3.0% —2———33.3——42.4 0.5—————3.31.63.30.3130.8———13.3—22.2—Sa. Duterte +19.9
August 27–30, 2025 Tangere[114]1,400±2.57% —————361——2——————1———103—34—616—Sa. Duterte +2
July 29 – August 6, 2025 WR Numero[115][116]1,418— —3.1———31.41.30.16.51.4——4.4——1.02.0—2.1—13.30.7———10.31.75—Sa. Duterte +18.1
June 20–22, 2025 Tangere[117]2,000±2.15% —————353—133——1———1———196———9—10—Sa. Duterte +16
May 20–21, 2025 Tangere[118]1,800±2.48% —————293—15———————3—— —216———11111—Sa. Duterte +8
March 31 – April 7, 2025 WR Numero[119]—— —————30.2——42.3——3.8——2.11.7—4.7—12.70.5———17.92.817.5—Sa. Duterte +12.3
February 20–26, 2025 Pulse Asia[120]—— —————39———5————————14——1———28———Sa. Duterte +11
February 10–18, 2025 WR Numero[121][122]1,814±2.0% —————29.1———1.1——2.8——4.11.9—3.8—12.41.2———19.32.822.6—Sa. Duterte +6.5
September 5—23, 2024 WR Numero[123]1,729— —————24———4——5——43—5—91———24—18—Tie
June 25–30, 2024 Oculum[124]1,200±3.0% —————25.4———2.9——5.7—4.83.12.6———10.60.8———18.5—20.44.3Sa. Duterte +5
May 23–26, 2024 Tangere[125]±2.5% —————27.67———3.73——4.13—6.601.730.60—10.20—14.33————27.073.93——Sa. Duterte +0.6
March 6–10, 2024 Pulse Asia[126]—— ————0.234———1——5—0.132———110.5———35—52R. Tulfo +1
February 21–29, 2024 Oculum[127]3,000±2.0% —————42——————4—442———100.4———17214—Sa. Duterte +28
January 20–24, 2024 Tangere[128]2,000— —————31.5———1——3—62——10—120.31——30.84——Sa. Duterte +0.7
November 24 – December 24, 2023 WR Numero[129]1,500— —————36———1——7——55———91———23—14—Sa. Duterte +13
April 15–18, 2023 SWS[130]1,200±3.0% ————328—————111121———6————11541None +13
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Notes

  1. [a]
    Senators Francis Escudero and Joel Villanueva ran as "guest" candidates of the TRoPa, and did not endorse Robredo.
  2. [b]
    Individuals listed below have, as of April 2026, personally expressed an interest in seeking the 2028 presidential election in at least two reliable media sources in the last six months.
  3. [c]
    Individuals listed below have, as of April 2026, been mentioned as potential 2028 presidential candidates in at least two reliable media sources in the last six months.
  4. [d]
    Declined to run
  5. [e]
    Ineligible

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