2022 Philippine presidential election
The Philippine presidential and vice presidential elections of 2022 are scheduled to be held on Monday, May 9, 2022, as part of that year's general elections. This will be the 17th direct presidential election in the Philippines since 1935 and the seventh sextennial presidential election since 1986.
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Incumbent president Rodrigo Duterte is ineligible for re-election, pursuant to the 1987 Philippine Constitution. The position of president and vice president are elected separately, thus the two winning candidates could come from different political parties.
COMELEC Commissioner Rowena Guanzon has proposed voting by mail as an option in the elections, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]
Electoral system
According to the Constitution of the Philippines of 1987, the election is held every six years after 1992, on the second Monday of May. The incumbent president is term limited. The incumbent vice president may run for two consecutive terms. The first-past-the-post voting system is used to determine the winner: the candidate with the highest number of votes, whether or not one has a majority, wins the presidency. The vice presidential election is a separate election, is held on the same rules, and voters may split their ticket. Both winners will serve six-year terms commencing at noon on June 30, 2022, and ending on the same day six years later.[2]
Background

In the 2016 presidential and vice presidential elections, Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP–Laban) won against five other candidates, winning as president, while representative from Camarines Sur Leni Robredo of the Liberal Party won against Senator Bongbong Marcos and five others in the vice presidential election that is the closest margin since 1965, Marcos put the result under protest in the Presidential Electoral Tribunal.[3]
In July 2016, Vice President Robredo was appointed to head the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council,[4] but later resigned in December 2016 after she was told to stop attending all cabinet meetings, amid her criticism of the administration's bloody war on drugs.[5] His allies afterwards attempted to impeach her, with the president calling to end the impeachment.[6]
In the 17th Congress, the representative from Davao del Norte Pantaleon Alvarez was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives in July 2016.[7] Two years later though, former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who was the representative from Pampanga ousted Alvarez from the speakership. The president's allies said that the ouster was due to a squabble between Alvarez and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, the president's daughter, who the latter branded the former as from the opposition when she launched the Hugpong ng Pagbabago, a regional political party in the Davao Region where both Davao del Norte and Davao City are a part of.[8]
In the 2019 midterm Senate election, the opposition fielded the Otso Diretso coalition,[9] while the administration fielded their slate under the Hugpong ng Pagbabago banner.[10] Hugpong won 9 of the 12 seats contested, while Otso Diretso won no seats. Cynthia Villar, wife of defeated 2010 presidential candidate Manuel Villar, topped the election, while 2013's topnotcher and 2016 defeated presidential candidate Grace Poe finished second.[11] While Sara Duterte's Hugpong won in the Davao Region, they notably failed to unseat Alvarez, and PDP–Laban defeated Hugpong candidates for governor of Davao del Norte, and the province's both seats in the House of Representatives.[12]
On Marcos's electoral protest against Robredo, the Presidential Electoral Tribunal released in October 2019 the report on Marcos's pilot provinces of Camarines Sur, Iloilo and Negros Oriental, and showed that Robredo increased her lead by 15.742 votes. The tribunal voted to defer on deciding on the protest, and instead proceeded with Marcos's plea to nullify the votes from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao. Those who dissented the decision said that the protest should have been dismissed, as Marcos failed to recover votes from his 3 pilot provinces, citing the rules of the tribunal; they were overruled when the others said that Marcos's plea on the ARMM provinces should also be resolved.[13]
A couple of weeks later, the president challenged Robredo to co-chair the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD), the office that oversees the war on drugs, along with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency chief, which she accepted.[14] A week later, Duterte said that he will fire Robredo if she shares state secrets about the drug war.[15] Several days later, Duterte said he cannot trust Robredo, after she asked the government for a list of high value targets in the drug war.[16] Robredo replied that "He should tell me straight if he wants me out."[17] Senator Francis Pangilinan of the Liberal Party said that Duterte could have fired Robredo instead of belittling her.[18] A day later, Duterte fired Robredo as co-chair of the ICAD, with Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo shared that she spoke with foreigners, was asking for the scope of her powers and was among those daring the President to fire her, along with Senator Francis Pangilinan.[19]
In June 2020, American boxing promoter Bob Arum said that Senator Manny Pacquiao confided to him that he will run for president in 2022.[20] Pacquiao later denied talking about politics with Arum.[21]
After remarks by actress Sharon Cuneta in July 2020 saying she hopes Robredo will succeed Duterte in 2022 so that "decency" will be restored in the country, Robredo said that she has no plans yet of running in 2022.[22]
Candidates
Official candidates
The Commission on Elections is expected to publish the list of official candidates by January 2022.
Declared candidates
No one has declared his or her intentions of running for either president or vice president.
Potential candidates
Various personalities have directly and indirectly hinted on the possibility of running for president or vice president in the 2022 presidential elections. In other cases, sources have hinted on the possibility of certain candidates to run for president or vice president in 2022. Among these personalities include:
- Manny Villar
- Sonny Angara (LDP), incumbent senator[23]
- Alan Peter Cayetano (Nacionalista), incumbent Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives[24][24]
- Ronald dela Rosa (PDP-Laban), incumbent senator[25][26]
- Chel Diokno (Liberal), dean of the De La Salle University College of Law[27][27]
- Sara Duterte (HNP), incumbent mayor of Davao City[28][28][29]
- Richard Gordon (Bagumbayan-VNP), incumbent senator[30][30]
- Panfilo Lacson (Independent), incumbent senator[31]
- Lacson said he would run for president if he has "a clear chance of winning."[32]
- Bongbong Marcos (Nacionalista), former senator[33][34]
- By January 2020, Marcos confirmed that he is running "for a national position" in 2022, although he did not specify which position.[35]
- Isko Moreno (NUP/Asenso Manileño), incumbent mayor of Manila[36]
- Manny Pacquiao (PDP-Laban), incumbent senator[37]
- Leni Robredo (Liberal), incumbent Vice President of the Philippines[38][39]
- Mar Roxas (Liberal), former senator[40][40]
- Tito Sotto (NPC), incumbent President of the Senate of the Philippines[41]
- Cynthia Villar (Nacionalista), incumbent senator[42]
- Manuel Villar (Nacionalista), former senator[43][43]
Declined candidacies
These are the people who, while have been suggested to run for either president or vice president have personally ruled out the idea of running for either or both positions. Among these personalities include:
For president
- Franklin Drilon (Liberal), incumbent senator
- Drilon declined running for president.[44]
- Bong Go (PDP-Laban), incumbent senator
- Imee Marcos (Nacionalista), incumbent senator
- Marcos declined running for president.[47]
- Grace Poe (Independent), incumbent senator[48]
For both president and vice president
- Antonio Trillanes (Magdalo), former senator[51]
- Trillanes said that the highest position he'd run for is senator.[52]
Issues
Experts have warned against voting for candidates backed by the government of China in the 2022 elections, amidst territorial conflicts between China and the Philippines.[53] Issues on the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, where it was used to broaden a reign of fear and repression, has also been flagged.[54]
References
- Aquino, Leslie Ann G. (April 1, 2020). "Voting by mail in the May 2022 polls proposed". Manila Bulletin.
- Hartmann, Christoff; Hassall, Graham; Santos, Soliman M. Jr. Nohlen, Dieter; Grotz, Florian; Hartmann, Christof (eds.). Elections in Asia and the Pacific: A Data Handbook, Volume II. Oxford University Press. p. 187. ISBN 0199249598.
- "Marcos protests Robredo victory on eve of oath-taking". Rappler. June 29, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
- "Duterte appoints Robredo as HUDCC chief". Philippine Daily Inquirer. July 7, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
- "VP Leni Robredo resigns from Cabinet position". CNN Philippines. December 4, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
- "Duterte wants impeachment bids against Philippine VP stopped". Associated Press. March 23, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
- Cepeda, Mara (July 25, 2016). "Pantaleon Alvarez is new House Speaker". Rappler. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
- Cervantes, Filane Mikee (July 23, 2018). "Arroyo replaces Alvarez as House Speaker". www.pna.gov.ph. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- "Benigno Aquino III, Leni Robredo endorse opposition Senate 12". philstar.com. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
- Calvelo, George. "Sara's 'Hugpong' endorses 13 senatorial bets for 12 seats". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
- "COMELEC wraps up official tally with Binay clinching top 12". cnn. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
- Ranada, Pia (May 19, 2019). "Alvarez wins, Floirendo-Del Rosario rule ends in Davao del Norte". Rappler. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- Punay, Edu (October 16, 2019). "Leni Was Seen To Win In Bongbong's Election Protest, But…". OneNews.ph. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- "Rodrigo Duterte hands over 'war on drugs' to vice-president and critic". The Guardian. November 7, 2019. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
- "Duterte threatens to fire Robredo from ICAD if she reveals state secrets". GMA News Online. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- "Duterte on anti-drug czar: I cannot trust Robredo". GMA News Online. November 19, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- "Robredo to Duterte: Tell me if I'm out as drug czar". The Manila Times. November 20, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- Romero, Paolo; Mateo, Janvic (November 23, 2019). "'Fire Leni instead of belittling her'". philstar.com. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- Andolong, Ina; Gregorio, Xave (November 24, 2019). "Duterte fires Robredo from anti-drug czar post". CNN Philippines. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- "Pacquiao planning to run for president in 2022, says Arum". GMA News Online. June 8, 2020.
- Giongco, Mark (June 10, 2020). "Pacquiao denies discussing running for president with Arum". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
- "Robredo says no plans yet for 2022, focused on service". ABS-CBN News. July 8, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- Sison, George (July 1, 2018). "Ed Angara didn't become president—but his Son(ny) could". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
- "Naghahanda na sa 2022! Duterte calls Alan Cayetano 'Mr. President'". Politics.com.ph. January 18, 2018.
- Maierbrugger, Arno (October 30, 2017). ""The Rock" may run in 2022 Philippine presidential elections". Investvine.
- "PNP chief 'Bato' hints at possible run for presidency". ABS-CBN News. October 30, 2017.
- Punzalan, Jemaine (May 22, 2019). "Chel Diokno can be opposition standard bearer in 2022 - Gutoc". ABS-CBN News.
- Colcol, Erwin (August 30, 2018). "Cayetano open to support Sara Duterte as next president". GMA News Online.
- Dullana, Raymon (February 18, 2019). "Sara Duterte to decide on presidential bid by 2021". Rappler.
- Placido, Dharel (May 9, 2017). "Duterte calls Gordon PH's next president". ABS-CBN News.
- Cervantes, Filane Mikee (May 2, 2019). "Lacson may run for president again in 2022". Philippine News Agency.
- Ager, Maila (May 2, 2019). "Lacson on possible 2022 run I'm not closing the door". newsinfo.inquirer.net. Philippine Daily Inquirer.
- Norman P. Aquino and Jason Koutsoukis (October 15, 2017). "Another Marcos Is Eyeing the Philippine Presidency". www.bloomberg.com.
- Cepeda, Mara (June 21, 2018). "Bongbong Marcos eyes return to Malacañang as Philippine president". Rappler.
- Navallo, Mike (January 10, 2020). "Bongbong Marcos to run for national post in 2022 polls". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
- "Isko for 2022? Too early, says NUP". ABS-CBN News. August 7, 2019.
- "Boxing great Manny Pacquiao's senate victory brings him closer to presidency". ESPN5. May 19, 2016.
- Cabato, Regine (March 2, 2018). "Robredo not closing the door on running in 2022". CNN Philippines.
- Jalea, Glee (November 24, 2018). "Robredo leaves 2022 presidency up to 'destiny'". The Manila Times.
- "Teddy Locsin to Mar Roxas: Run for president in 2022 but avoid 'yellow crowd'". politics.com.ph. May 11, 2016.
- Villanueva, Marichu A. (November 9, 2018). "What is Sotto's plan for 2022?". The Philippine Star.
- Fenol, Jessica (May 7, 2019). "Villar rides rags-to-riches tale for reelection, leaves 2022 to destiny". ABS-CBN.
- "Duterte to Manny Villar: Run, I'm with you". newsinfo.inquirer.net. Philippine Daily Inquirer. February 16, 2019.
- Ramos, Christia Marie (July 22, 2020). "2022 presidential race? Drilon says 'count me out'". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
- Placido, Dharel (April 3, 2019). "Bong Go says no plans to seek presidency in 2022". ABS-CBN.
- Domingo, Katrina (October 24, 2019). "Early campaigning for 2022? Why even talk about it, asks Go". ABS-CBN.
- "Imee Marcos: Presidency 'not in my mind,' says Sara Duterte 'strongest' 2022 bet". ABS-CBN. May 30, 2019.
- Ager, Maila (July 15, 2019). "Poe sure presidential winner in 2022 – Osmeña". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
- "Senator Grace Poe says she has no plans to run again for president in 2022". Coconuts. Coconuts Manila. February 18, 2019.
- Aiger, Maila (February 18, 2019). "Take 2 in 2022? Poe says, 'I was given a chance already'". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
- Alberto-Masakayan, Thea (September 24, 2019). "Trillanes says Robredo is opposition's best bet in 2022 polls". ABS-CBN.
- Buan, Lian (February 19, 2020). "Opposition is solid for Robredo in 2022 – Trillanes". Rappler.
- https://www.rappler.com/nation/263364-former-admiral-ambassador-warn-chinese-influence-elections-2022
- https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/20/opinions/duterte-covid-19-philippines-repression-hartung/index.html