2022 PHILIPPINE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

2022 PHILIPPINE ELECTION

The 2022 Philippine election was held on May 9. The election took place during the COVID-19 pandemic and covered positions in both the executive and legislative branches at the national, provincial, and local levels. The only officials not included in the vote were barangay leaders. Major campaign issues included economic recovery from recession, the continuation of Duterte’s policies, foreign relations and territorial tensions with China, rising debt and inflation, and climate change. [Source: Wikipedia]

There were separate elections for the President and Vice President of the Philippines.The ballot also included contests for 12 seats in the Senate and all 316 seats in the House of Representatives. Across the provinces, elections were held for all 81 governors and vice governors, as well as 782 seats on provincial boards. In cities nationwide, voters selected 146 city mayors and vice mayors, along with 1,650 city council members. At the municipal level, Filipinos elected 1,488 municipal mayors and vice mayors and filled 11,908 seats in municipal councils. The first election for the Bangsamoro Parliament had originally been scheduled for the same day but was postponed to 2025.

The more than 18,000 government positions contested, included half of the 24 Senate seats. There were about 67 million registered voters in the the Philippines at that time out of total population of about 109 million people. Voters participated in 13 hours of voting — extended by an hour compared with the 2019 midterms to accommodate COVID-19 precautions. Security was tightened nationwide, with thousands of police and military personnel deployed due to threats from communist and Muslim insurgents and a history of violent political rivalries.[Source: Associated Press, May 8, 2022]

The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) said the election was relatively peaceful, with only 15 security incidents, including the killing of three security personnel in a region prone to political violence. A high voter turnout caused long lines at polling centers, which was exacerbated in some areas by malfunctions in 533 of the 106,000 voting machines. [Source: Karen Lema and Neil Jerome Morales, Reuters, May 9, 2022]

2022 Philippine Presidential Election

2022 Philippine vice presidential election by province and city

The 2022 Philippine presidential election was held on May 9 as part of the 2022 general elections. It was the country’s 17th direct presidential vote since 1935. Ferdinand (Bongbong) Marcos Jr. Became President after he won by a landslide over former Vice President Leni Robredo and Senator Francis Pangilinan. Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte (Sara Duterte-Carpio), former President Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter, won by a landslide for vice president.

Sara Duterte helped Marcos get elected by agreeing to be his vice presidential running mate, allowing Marcos to tap into Rodrigo Duterte’s father's huge support base and secure a comeback for the disgraced Marcos dynasty. The Dutertes' strong backing in the southern Philippines, traditionally a weak base for the Marcos family, was seen as a major advantage.. Although there has been no formal quid pro quo, political experts said Marcos would likely do what he could to impede the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation of Duterte for the alleged extrajudicial killings in his war on drugs.

Carlos Conde, senior researcher in the Philippines for Human Rights Watch, told The Daily Beast.“They’re party mates for all practical purposes. I think they resorted to this instead of running in one party in order to make the alliance less brazen, less in your face, and to allow Sara an out in case the alliance turns sour.” [Source: Donald Kirk, Daily Beast, January 3, 2022]

The 2022 election marked the first majority victory for both President and Vice President under the Fifth Republic and the first time since 2004 that the winning president and vice president ran on the same ticket. Voter turnout was the highest since 1998, with about 56 million ballots cast. Marcos won a record 31.6 million votes, while Duterte received 32.2 million, the highest total ever for a Philippine candidate.

Marcos became the second president from Ilocos Norte after his father, Ferdinand Marcos, signaling the Marcos family’s return to national power decades after the 1986 People Power Revolution. Sara Duterte became the first vice president from Davao City and the youngest ever elected to the post. She was inaugurated on June 19, 2022, and Marcos took office on June 30, 2022. Incumbent President Rodrigo Duterte was barred from seeking reelection under the 1987 Constitution’s single-term Robredo chose to run for president instead of seeking another term as vice president. The two offices were elected separately, allowing winners from different parties.

Candidates in the 2022 Philippines Presidential Election

Ferdinand ("Bongbong”) Marcos Jr. , 64 at the time of the 2022 election, defended his father’s legacy and consistently refused to apologize for or acknowledge the human rights abuses and alleged plunder committed during the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. Married to a lawyer with whom he has three sons, he largely avoided major controversies during the campaign, including questions about a past tax conviction and the Marcos family’s unpaid estate tax liabilities. He centered his campaign on a message of national unity and denied allegations that he funded a long-running social media effort using online trolls to attack opponents and rehabilitate the Marcos family’s image, challenging critics to “show me one.” Critics argued that a Marcos victory would mark the Marcos family’s ultimate effort to rehabilitate its image and reshape narratives about authoritarian rule, corruption and extravagance. In interviews he openly praised his late father, for his “genius” and leadership.[Source: Associated Press, May 8, 2022; Martin Petty, Reuters, May 5, 2022]

Leni Robredo , 57 at the time of the 2022 election, was an economics student at the University of the Philippines in the 1980s and joined the protests that led to the ouster of the Marcos senior. She later earned a law degree and entered politics after her husband, a well-regarded public official, died in a plane crash in 2012. She won a seat in the House of Representatives in 2013 and narrowly defeated Marcos Jr. in the 2016 vice-presidential race.

Philippine Presidential Election Results per municipality A) Marcos (light green smaller percentage to dark green higher percentage): 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% 90–100%; B) Robredo (pink smaller percentage to dark reddish brown higher percentage): 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% 90–100%; C) Pacquiao (light blue smaller percentage to dark blue higher percentage): 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%; Mangondato (Yellow smaller percentage to brown higher percentage) 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%

The daughter of a trial court judge and former human rights lawyer and liberal reform advocate, Robredo focused on fighting poverty and gender inequality. She did not come from one of the powerful political dynasties that have long dominated Philippine politics. She ran as an independent backed by a large volunteer network. As vice president — elected separately from Rodrigo Duterte — she criticized his deadly anti-drug campaign and the killings of mostly poor suspects, straining relations between them. A mother of three, she earned a reputation for integrity and modesty, often traveling alone by bus to her home province during her time in Congress. Her advocacy focused on human rights and empowering marginalized communities, including educating the poor about their legal rights.

Other Contenders: Eight other presidential candidates trailed far behind in pre-election surveys. Among them was Manny Pacquiao, the former boxing champion, who promised housing for the poor and a “mega-prison” for corrupt officials. Manila Mayor Isko Moreno campaigned on his rise from poverty and his cleanup efforts in the capital. Senator Panfilo Lacson, a former national police chief, pledged to use his investigative background to root out government corruption.

Campaigning in the 2022 Presidential Election

In the days before the 2022 election, Marcos reiterated his call for unity before supporters in Iloilo province during the first of three major rallies scheduled before campaigning ended. He urged backers to deliver victory for his “Uniteam,” saying, “We have travelled around the country to rally support behind our unity movement.” Marcos appeared close to completing what many once thought impossible — a rebranding of the Marcos name 36 years after the 1986 People Power uprising that ousted his father and forced the family into exile. [Source: Karen Lema, Reuters, May 3, 2022]

Political analysts said Marcos benefited from a decades-long public relations effort to reshape perceptions of his family, even as critics accused the Marcoses of revising history. Retired political science professor Temario Rivera said they had “the advantage of crafting an appealing narrative, which we know distorts the historical fact and yet has somehow appealed to many voters.”

Marcos also benefited from his running mate, Sara Duterte, who drew strength from the enduring popularity of her father, outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte. Although Duterte reiterated that he would not formally endorse any presidential candidate, crowds at the Marcos rally repeatedly chanted “Duterte, Duterte” before Sara spoke.

In Negros Occidental, what had been planned as a small gathering turned into a rally for Leni Robredo after dozens of supporters arrived. There, she pledged to lead an honest and transparent government if elected president. Marcos and Robredo shared a bitter political rivalry. Robredo was closely aligned with the movement that had toppled Ferdinand Marcos after years of authoritarian rule and martial law.

Despite Marcos’s substantial lead in opinion polls, Robredo drew influential endorsements and large crowds at her own rallies, support that some analysts said surveys might not have fully reflected. She challenged Marcos to a debate, but he declined, saying he preferred to address voters directly. Critics accused him of avoiding debates to conceal weaknesses and limiting media access, with some foreign journalists reporting they were denied accreditation to his campaign events.

Results of 2022 Philippines Presidential Election

2022 Philippines Presidential Election Results
Candidate — Party — Votes — Percent
Bongbong Marcos — Partido Federal ng Pilipinas — 31,629,783 — 58.77 percent
Leni Robredo — Independent — 15,035,773 — 27.94 percent
Manny Pacquiao — PROMDI — 3,663,113 — 6.81 percent
Isko Moreno — Aksyon Demokratiko — 1,933,909 — 3.59 percent
Panfilo Lacson — Independent— 892,375 — 1.66 percent
Faisal Mangondato — Katipunan ng Kamalayang Kayumanggi — 301,629 — 0.56 percent
Ernesto Abella — Independent — 114,627 — 0.21 percent
Leody de Guzman — Partido Lakas ng Masa — 93,027 — 0.17 percent
Norberto Gonzales — Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas — 90,656 — 0.17 percent
Jose Montemayor Jr. — Democratic Party of the Philippines — 60,592 — 0.11 percent
Total — 53,815,484 — 100.00 percent
Valid votes — 53,815,484 — 96.05 percent
Invalid/blank votes — 2,213,371 — 3.95 percent
Total votes — 56,028,855 — 100.00 percent
Registered voters/turnout — 67,523,697 — 82.98 percent [Source: Congress, COMELEC, Wikipedia]

2022 Philippines Vice Presidential Election Results
Candidate — Party — Votes — Percent
Sara Duterte — Lakas–CMD — 32,208,417 — 61.53 percent
Kiko Pangilinan — Liberal Party — 9,329,207 — 17.82 percent
Tito Sotto — Nationalist People's Coalition — 8,251,267 — 15.76 percent
Willie Ong — Aksyon Demokratiko — 1,878,531 — 3.59 percent
Lito Atienza — PROMDI — 270,381 — 0.52 percent
Manny SD Lopez — Labor Party Philippines — 159,670 — 0.31 percent
Walden Bello — Partido Lakas ng Masa — 100,827 — 0.19 percent
Carlos Serapio — Katipunan ng Kamalayang Kayumanggi — 90,989 — 0.17 percent
Rizalito David — Democratic Party of the Philippines — 56,711 — 0.11 percent
Total — 52,346,000 — 100.00 percent
Valid votes — 52,346,000 — 93.43 percent
Invalid/blank votes — 3,682,855 — 6.57 percent
Total votes — 56,028,855 — 100.00 percent
Registered voters/turnout — 67,523,697 — 82.98 percent

How Bongbong Won

According to Bloomberg: Most elections in the Philippines are decided by local fiefdoms with narrow interests. Although Robredo drew historic crowds in the final weeks of a campaign focused on fighting corruption, ultimately it proved no match Marcos Jr.’s patchwork of alliances with local leaders. [Source: Philip Heijmans, Bloomberg, May 11, 2022]

Marcos was criticized for skipping presidential debates and for doing few interviews and making few media appearances during the campaign. This enabled him to limit scrutiny and control his message via a network of influencers and bloggers who were granted broad access to his events. [Source: Karen Lema and Neil Jerome Morales, Reuters, May 9, 2022]

The Marcos family has spent decades working to rebuild its public image. Combined with the perceived failures of successive administrations and a pivotal alliance with Sara Duterte, daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte, the effort helped power what was once considered an improbable return to the presidency for Ferdinand Marcos Jr.. According to the polling firm Pulse Asia, voter support for Marcos doubled in November after Duterte-Carpio declared she would run as his vice-presidential partner. [Source: Karen Lema and Tom Allard, Reuters,May 10, 2022]

Young voters played their their With roughly half of the electorate between the ages of 18 and 40, the campaign’s strong social media presence resonated with younger voters. “This is also a new generation of voters,” said Patricio Abinales, a Filipino professor of Asian studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. “None lived through the Marcos and post-Marcos eras.” Joshua Kurlantzick, a Southeast Asia analyst at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, observed, “The idea of strongman rule is again very popular, including with young people”.

For many who participated in the 1986 uprising, the Marcos comeback has been difficult to comprehend. “We said in 1986, ‘Never again’,” said Florencio Abad, who joined the mass protests in Manila and later served in government. “How did they manage to come back?” Abad, who held cabinet posts under President Corazon Aquino and her son, President Benigno Aquino III, argued that post-1986 administrations failed to fully undo the injustices of the Marcos era. “The changes that happened were not deep enough ... particularly addressing the problem of inequity and the exclusion of so many Filipinos from the distribution of wealth in the country,” he said. “There is justifiable disappointment.”

Boxing Great Pacquiao Doesn’t Do So Great in His Philippine Presidential Run

Philippines senator and boxing icon Manny Pacquiao ran for the Philippine presidency in 2022. He launched his campaign in dramatic fashion, livestreaming a ride through Manila traffic aboard a bus emblazoned with the slogan “Man of Destiny” as he went to file his candidacy. He promised to imprison corrupt officials and crack down on drug users — despite having admitted to using crystal meth and marijuana in his youth — but his hardline rhetoric failed to resonate with voters and he suffered a resounding defeat. [Source: Allison Jackson, AFP, May 10, 2022]

Pacquiao, running with PROMDI party placed third with 3,663,113 votes, for 6.81 percent of the total, way behind the winner Marcos who won almsot 59 percent of the vote and runner-up Leni Robredo, who won almsot 28 percent. Pre-election surveys had consistently indicated Pacquiao had little chance of clinching the presidency. Nevertheless, the born-again evangelical Christian remained optimistic until the end of the race.

“I believe there are more poor people than rich ones,” Pacquiao told reporters as he cast his ballot in his home province of Sarangani. He expressed confidence that the country’s poor majority would unite, even as he maintained a residence in an exclusive Manila neighborhood home to billionaires and foreign diplomats. By running for president he forfeited the opportunity to seek a second term in the Senate.

In a November interview with AFP, the former congressman ruled out a return to boxing if he lost the election. Approaching 43 at the time, the father of five said his fighting career was over. Instead, he planned to focus on agriculture, tending fruit trees on his 20-hectare property in Sarangani. He described the area as peaceful and said he preferred its quiet surroundings.

Pacquiao remains widely admired across the Philippines for his extraordinary rise from impoverished street child to one of boxing’s greatest pound-for-pound champions. However, his political career and outspoken religious views have drawn criticism. He was an outspoken supporter of Rodrigo Duterte’s controversial war on drugs and efforts to reinstate the death penalty. His credibility on drug policy was questioned after he acknowledged his own past substance use, and homophobic remarks led to the loss of a lucrative endorsement deal with sportswear giant Nike.

Critics also pointed to his limited formal education and alleged low attendance at congressional and Senate sessions. A public falling-out with Duterte the previous year further weakened his political standing and fractured their party. Pacquiao formally announced his retirement from boxing in September, shortly before launching his presidential campaign.

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: Library of Congress, Philippines Department of Tourism, Philippines government websites, Encyclopedia.com, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Wikipedia, “Encyclopedia of World Cultures Volume 5: East/Southeast Asia:” edited by Paul Hockings, 1993, UNESCO, National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) the official government agency for culture in the Philippines), Lonely Planet Guides, The Guardian, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, Time, The Conversation, BBC, CNN, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Google AI, and various websites, books and other publications.

Last updated February 2026