The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has finalized the list of 66 senatorial candidates for the May 2025 midterm elections, narrowing it down from 183 initial aspirants.
“We will release the ballot faces next week. You can see more or less the pictures of each town’s ballot. You will see who are the senators, all 66 of them,” Comelec Chairperson George Garcia said in Filipino during a radio interview.
The final list includes prominent names such as political and business stalwart Luis “Manong Chavit” Singson, former Interior Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos and ex-senators Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino, Gringo Honasan, Panfilo Lacson, Emmanuel Pacquiao, Francis Pangilinan and Vicente “Tito” Sotto III.
Also included are Makati Mayor Abby Binay, labor leaders Leody de Guzman, Luke Espiritu Jr., and Jose Sonny Matula, as well as reelectionists Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., Bong Go, Lito Lapid, Imee Marcos and Francis Tolentino.
Television personalities Jimmy Bondoc, Wilfredo Revillame and detained televangelist Apollo Quiboloy also made the cut. Additional candidates include SAGIP Rep. Rodante Mendoza, AGRI Rep. Wilbert Lee, former state auditor Heidi Mendoza, and ex-Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales.
Section 69 of the Omnibus Election Code disqualifies nuisance candidates — those who mock the election process, cause name confusion, or lack genuine intent to run.
The Comelec also assured that ballot printing will proceed as scheduled despite a petition from the National Confederation of Labor (NCL) to suspend the process.
“Ballot printing shall proceed as scheduled. We would like to assure this group that their concerns are well-taken,” Garcia said in a Viber message. “However, we are working on a very tight schedule and delay is never an option.”
The NCL, represented by senatorial aspirant Ernesto Arellano, called for stricter qualification checks for candidates. Arellano proposed requiring true copies of birth certificates and NBI clearances to prevent unqualified aspirants from running, referencing the case of dismissed Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, who was disqualified due to Chinese citizenship.
The Comelec will begin printing the 73 million ballots for the May 2025 elections on 6 January.