List of special elections in the Philippines explained

This is a list of special elections in the Philippines. The Philippines holds two types of special elections: those that were supposed to be held on election day but were delayed, and those held after an office has become vacant. This article describes the second type, which is also known outside the Philippines and the United States as "by-elections". This includes special elections to Congress and its predecessors—the Philippine Legislature, the National Assembly of the Philippines, the Commonwealth Congress, and the Batasang Pambansa—as well as to local legislatures and executive offices, if applicable.

Most special elections are for vacancies in Congress. The last special election of any sort was held in Cavite's 7th congressional district on February 25, 2023, to elect the successor of Jesus Crispin Remulla, who vacated his post to become Secretary of Justice.

Scheduling

American era

The Philippine Commission, by then the highest civil authority outside the Governor-General, in the Insular Government of the Philippine Islands, passed Act No. 1582 or the "Election Law" on January 9, 1907. It specifies that for any vacancies in the Philippine Assembly, it shall be determined by a special election set by the Governor-General that shall be not be less than 40 days, but not more than 90 days, from the date of proclamation.

For provincial officials, the Governor-General shall call for a special election. For municipal officials, if the office of municipal president is vacated, the municipal vice president shall be filled by the vice-president, if there is one. For other municipal officials, it shall be appointed by the provincial board.

The same law specified that once convened, the Philippine Assembly shall be the lower house of the bicameral Philippine Legislature, with the Philippine Commission being the upper house.

Act No. 2045, enacted by the Philippine Legislature on February 3, 1911, struck out the provision on the prohibition of filling up vacancies on the Philippine Assembly a year before its term ends.

The Tydings–McDuffie Act transformed the Insular Government to the Commonwealth of the Philippines. A constitution was then approved, replacing the Philippine Legislature with the unicameral National Assembly. The National Assembly then passed Commonwealth Act No. 21 that governed special elections. It stated that vacancies that occur 10 months before the term expires shall have special elections.

Third Republic era

The United States granted independence to the Philippines on July 4, 1946.

In Republic Act No. 180, or the Revised Election Code of 1947, if a vacancy in either chamber of Congress occurs at least 10 months or before a regular election, the president shall call a special election as soon as the chamber where the vacancy occurred of the existence of such vacancy notified him.[1]

During the Third Republic era (1946–1972), special elections were held concurrently with Senate and local elections.

Fourth Republic era

In Batas Pambansa Blg. 881, or the Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines, approved on December 3, 1985, in case of a vacancy in the Batasang Pambansa (National Parliament) 18 months or more before a regular election, the Commission on Elections shall call a special election to be held within sixty days after the vacancy occurs; in case parliament is dissolved, the President shall call an election which shall not be held earlier than forty-five nor later than sixty days from the date of such dissolution.[2] Several weeks earlier, President Ferdinand Marcos ordered the Batasang Pambansa to call a special snap election a year prior to the regularly-schedule election. B.P. Blg. 883 called the special presidential election on the same day B.P. Blg. 881 was passed. Marcos was then ousted after the People Power Revolution when it was alleged he won that election via massive election fraud. The new government headed by President Corazon Aquino restored the presidential system with a bicameral Congress.

Fifth Republic era

The constitution ratified in 1987 provided Congress to convene on the third day of the vacancy of both the presidency and vice presidency to enact a law calling for a special election for both offices, with the exception that no election will be called if the next scheduled election is 18 months away. If only one of the offices is vacant, the vice president becomes president, or the president appoints a member of Congress as vice president, with both chambers voting separately to confirm the appointment, as the case may be.[3]

Later, as stipulated in R.A. No. 6645 approved on December 28, 1987, once a vacancy occurs in the Senate at least 18 months, or in the House of Representatives at least one year, before the next scheduled election, the Commission on Elections, upon receipt of a resolution from the chamber where the vacancy occurred, shall schedule a special election. The special election will then be held not earlier than 45 days nor later than 90 days from the date of the resolution.[4]

However, R.A. No. 7166 approved on November 26, 1991, amended parts of R.A. No. 6645. When a vacancy in the House of Representatives occurs at least one year before the expiration of the term, the special election shall be held not earlier than 60 days nor later than 90 days after occurrence of the vacancy. For the Senate, if the vacancy occurs also at least one year before the expiration of the term, the special election shall be held on the day of the next succeeding regular election.[5]

With the passage of Republic Act No. 8295 in 1997, if there is only one candidate running for the position, that candidate would be proclaimed as the winner, and an election would no longer be held.[6] This is unlike in regularly scheduled elections where voting would still be held and the candidate has to get one vote in order to be elected. Since the enactment of this law, no special election has seen only one candidate.

Not all vacancies that occurred a year before the next regular election resulted in a special election. To save money, the Speaker appoints a caretaker representative from a nearby district. In same cases a caretaker representative was appointed while an election date was considered.

As with general elections, special elections are usually scheduled on a Monday. Special elections held since the 15th Congress are mostly done on Saturdays. In some cases, election days are declared as holidays.

Lack of special elections

In accordance with current laws, the decision to call a special election to fill permanent vacancies is not mandatory, and is solely at the discretion of Congress, which has received criticism for not quickly acting to fill such vacancies.[7] Despite many vacancies occurring well before a year from the end of a congressional term, Congress has left many such seats unfilled. In more extreme examples some even remained vacant for two years or more:[8]

Since the country's independence in 1946, no special elections were called during the presidencies of Carlos P. Garcia, Corazon Aquino and Joseph Estrada; the 4th Congress, during the Garcia presidency, notably did not have deaths in the lower house. During the first half of the presidency of Diosdado Macapagal, and the latter half of the presidencies of Fidel V. Ramos and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and from the beginning of the second presidential term of Ferdinand Marcos in 1969 until his removal from office in 1986, no special elections were called. During the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte, no special elections were ever held. In the first half of the presidency of Bongbong Marcos, at least one special election was called.

Presidential elections

Two presidential elections have been held outside of schedule. The first, which was supposed to be held in 1945, was delayed due to World War II, and was ultimately held in 1946. The second, which was supposed to be held in 1987, was held earlier than scheduled in February 1986. In both instances, the office of the presidency was not vacant.

1946 elections

See main article: 1946 Philippine presidential election. Due to the Commonwealth of the Philippines government being driven into exile by World War II, the supposed general election in November 1945 were not held as scheduled. The Commonwealth government reconstituted itself in 1946 and some senators called for elections to be held right away. The United States Congress approved a joint resolution setting the date of the election on not later than April 30, 1946. The Commonwealth Congress then enacted a law, Commonwealth Act No. 725, setting the date of the election on April 23, 1946. Like most special elections though, the winners would serve only until 1949, or as if their terms started in 1945.

Manuel Roxas defeated the incumbent Sergio Osmeña, while the former's running mate Elpidio Quirino defeated Osmeña's running mate Eulogio Rodriguez.

Vice president

1986 snap elections

See main article: 1986 Philippine presidential election. In 1985, the Batasang Pambansa called a special election for the offices of president and vice president on February 7, 1986; unlike special elections elsewhere when it was called due to a vacancy, incumbent president Ferdinand Marcos did not relinquish his office, and that the winners will serve a full six-year term, instead of the remainder of the current term. The vice presidency, which was vacant after it was restored when a constitutional amendment was approved in a 1984 plebiscite, was also at stake. Marcos and his running mate, MP from Manila Arturo Tolentino, won their respective elections against Corazon Aquino and Salvador Laurel, but allegations of massive fraud led to the People Power Revolution a couple of weeks later that led to his ouster.

Vice president (COMELEC)

In the official results from COMELEC that were later used by the Batasang Pambansa to proclaim the winners, Marcos and Tolentino won over Aquino and Laurel respectively, while in the unofficial results from NAMFREL, Aquino and Laurel led over Marcos and Tolentino.

Senate

Philippine Legislature

From 1917 to 1934, senators are elected via senatorial districts; a vacancy mid-term had been filled up by a special election.

DistrictLeg.DatePredecessorPolitical partyCauseWinnerPolitical partyRetained?
width=12%2nd4thMay 5, 1917Aquilino CalvoAppointed Mountain Province governorMatias GonzalesYes
3rd5thOctober 25, 1919Francisco LiongsonDied in officeCeferino de LeonYes
4thOctober 3, 1923Pedro GuevaraElected resident commissionerRamon J. FernandezYes
3rd7thMarch 23, 1926Santiago LuceroDied in officeLuis MoralesYes
9th1926Tomas GomezDied in officePastor SalazarYes
7thJuly 21, 1927Jose Ma. ArroyoDied in officeJose LedesmaYes
6th9th1931Juan B. AlegreDied prior to taking officeJosé O. VeraNo

Commonwealth Congress

Starting from 1941, senators elected at-large nationwide, have 6-year terms, with senators elected via staggered elections: every two years, eight out of the 24 senators were elected from 1940 to 1972, and 12 out of 24 senators every three years since 1987. In cases where a senator left office before the expiration of his term, a special election on the day of the next regularly scheduled Senate election was held to fill up the vacancy, as long as the seat per se won't be contested on that election day. There had been three cases where that happened.

Congress

DistrictLeg.DatePredecessorPolitical partyCauseWinnerPolitical partyRetained?
width=12%Nationwide at-large2ndNovember 13, 1951Fernando LopezElected vice presidentFelixberto VeranoNo
Nationwide at-large3rdNovember 8, 1955Carlos P. GarciaElected vice presidentRoseller T. LimYes
Nationwide at-large12thMay 14, 2001Teofisto Guingona Jr.Appointed vice presidentGregorio HonasanNo

Statistics

Death and leaving office for another position are the most frequent reasons why there are senatorial special elections:

Reason for vacancy Total %
Death/Killing 5 50%
Left office to assume another position 4 40%
Resignation 1 10%
Total 10 100%

Per election

1951

In 1949, Senator Fernando Lopez (who was on his second year of service in the Senate) was elected Vice President of the Philippines. To fill the vacancy, a special election was held separately with senators whose terms ended in that year:[9]

1955

In 1953, Senator Carlos P. Garcia (who was on his second year of service in the Senate) was elected Vice President of the Philippines. To fill the vacancy, a special election was held separately with senators whose terms ended in that year:[10]

2001

In 2001, Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo succeeded Joseph Estrada after the 2001 EDSA Revolution, leaving the office of the vice president vacant. Arroyo appointed Teofisto Guingona (who was serving the second year of his second term as senator) as vice president later that year but prior to the 2001 Senate election. The Commission on Elections ruled that instead of twelve, the electorate will vote for thirteen senators, with the thirteenth-placed candidate serving Guingona's unexpired term of three years. For purposes of term limits, that senator was deemed to have served a full six-year term.

Former senator Arturo Tolentino and others sued the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to set aside the proclamation of the thirteen senators in 2001. In Tolentino vs. Comelec, the Supreme Court ruled that the commission did not comply with the requirements of R.A. 6645, nor did the commission "give formal notice that it would proclaim as winner the senatorial candidate receiving the 13th highest number of votes in the special election." However, the court ruled that while the commission failed to give notice of the time of the special election, it did not negate the calling of such election, "indispensable to the elections validity." Since R.A. 6645 as amended "charges the voters with knowledge of this statutory notice and Comelec's failure to give the additional notice did not negate the calling of such special election, much less invalidate it", the court dismissed the petition for lack of merit and allowed the result of the election to stand.[11]

The "thirteenth" senator

There had been four instances in the Fifth Republic where a seat was vacated exactly midway through the senators' term due to election to another office. In all cases, the thirteenth-placed senator in the immediately preceding election was not given the former's seat, since the vacancy occurred after the election.

In all of those cases, the thirteenth-placed candidate was not given the vacant seat as the voters elected for only twelve senators.[12]

This was not a problem for senators elected from 1946 to 1971, as long as they were elected to a new position prior to the second Senate election of their terms; a senator is expected to see two Senate elections in a six-year term instead of just one post-1987:

For senators elected since 1987, their seats will be vacant until the end of their terms since there will be no intervening Senate elections from the day they gave up their seat up to the expiration of their term, unless it becomes vacant prior to election day, as shown in the four examples above.

House of Representatives

Since the 1998 elections, there have been two types of elected representatives, those who represent single-member districts and those elected via the party-list system. When a vacancy occurs for a party-list representative, the next-ranked nominee from the party replaces his predecessor. For district representatives, a special election will be held to determine who shall succeed the predecessor. During the Third Philippine Republic, where representatives had four-year terms, the special election was held together with the mid-term election.

A special election will not be held if the vacancy occurred less than a year before the next regularly scheduled election.

In case of deaths of appointed sectoral representatives from 1987 to 1998, the president may appoint a replacement, with the advice and consent of the Commission on Appointments.

Malolos Congress

The Malolos Constitution did not provide provisions for holding special elections to fill vacancies in the Malolos Congress.

Philippine Legislature

DistrictLeg.DatePredecessorPolitical partyCauseWinnerPolitical partyRetained?
Manila–1st1stMarch 30 and August 11, 1908Dominador GómezExpelledDominador GómezYes
Resigned rights to sitJusto LukbanLiga PopularNo
CaviteJanuary 19, 1909Rafael PalmaAppointed to the Philippine CommissionEmiliano Tría TironaNo
Surigao2ndOctober 14, 1910Manuel GavieresDied in officeInocencio CortesYes
La Laguna–1stDecember 13, 1910Potenciano MalvarAppointed La Laguna governorMarcos PaulinoNo
BatanesSeptember 5, 1911Teofilo CastillejosDied in officeVicente BarsanaNo
ZambalesOctober 3, 1911Alberto BarretoAppointed judge of the Rizal Court of First InstanceGabriel AlbaYes
Ilocos Sur–1st3rdOctober 13, 1913Vicente Singson EncarnacionAppointed to the Philippine CommissionAlberto ReyesYes
MindoroMarch 26, 1914Macario AdriaticoAppointed member of the Code CommitteeMariano Leuteriobgcolor=darkredLiga PopularNo
Bulacan–1stMay 16, 1914Aguedo VelardeDied in officeAmbrosio SantosYes
Cagayan–1stCresencio MarasiganElection annulledVenancio ConcepciónYes
ZambalesJuly 22, 1914Rafael CorpusAppointed Solicitor GeneralGabriel AlbaYes
Iloilo–4thAugust 28, 1914Amando AvanceñaElected Iloilo governorTiburcio LuteroNo
Negros Oriental–2ndOctober 1, 1914Teofisto Guingona Sr.Appointed Agusan governorLeopoldo RoviraYes
Capiz–2ndOctober 10, 1914Emilio AcevedoDied in officeSimeon DadivasNo
Cebu–7thNovember 21, 1914Eulalio CausingResignedTomas AlonsoYes
Leyte–4thSeptember 18, 1915Francisco EnageAppointed Iloilo provincial prosecutorRuperto KapunanNo
Rizal–2ndSixto de los AngelesAppointed Public Welfare Board member[13] Leandro Jabson[14] Yes
Cebu–3rd4th1916Filemon SottoElected senator from the 10th districtVicente UrgelloYes
Cavite7thAugust 15, 1925Augusto ReyesDied in officeAntero SorianoYes
Nueva EcijaMarch 22, 1926Isauro GabaldonDisqualifiedFeliciano RamosoYes
Tayabas–2nd8thOctober 6, 1928León GuintoAppointed Tayabas governorMarcelo BoncanYes
Cavite1929Antero SorianoDied in officeFidel IbañezYes
Albay–1st9thSeptember 29, 1931Froilán PavericioDied in officeExequiel KareNo
MindoroJune 4, 1932Mariano LeuterioDied in officeJuan L. LunaYes
Batangas–1stFebruary 18, 1933Antonio de las AlasAppointed Secretary of Public Works and CommunicationsRamón DioknoYes
ZambalesApril 1, 1933Gregorio Anonas Appointed Undersecretary of Public Works and CommunicationsMariano Alisangco No

National Assembly (Commonwealth)

DistrictLeg.DatePredecessorPolitical partyCauseWinnerPolitical partyRetained?
width=12%Ilocos Norte–2nd1stSeptember 1, 1936Julio NalundasanDied prior to taking officeUlpiano ArzadonYes
Samar–2ndSerafin MarabutAppointed Secretary of BudgetPascual AzanzaYes
Leyte–4thFrancisco EnageAppointed technical adviser to President Manuel L. QuezonNorberto RomualdezYes
AbraQuintín ParedesElected Resident Commissioner to the United StatesAgapito GarduqueYes
Albay–3rd2ndDecember 10, 1940Pedro SabidoAppointed manager of the National Abaca and other Fibers CorporationMarcial O. RañolaYes
Iloilo–2ndRuperto MontinolaDied in officeOscar LedesmaYes
Leyte–5thRuperto KapunanDied in officeAtilano R. CincoYes
Nueva Ecija–2ndFelipe Buencamino Jr.ResignedGabriel BelmonteYes

National Assembly (Second Republic)

The 1943 constitution did not provide provisions for holding special elections to fill vacancies in the National Assembly.

Commonwealth Congress

No special elections were called for the Commonwealth Congress, elected in 1941 and first met in 1945; the much-delayed elections of 1945 were held in 1946.

Congress of the Philippines

DistrictLeg.DatePredecessorPolitical partyCauseWinnerPolitical partyRetained?
width=12%Pangasinan–5th1stMarch 11, 1947Narciso RamosAppointed Minister-counsellor to the United NationsCipriano AlasYes
BukidnonCarlos Fortich Sr.Died in officeRemedios FortichYes
Iloilo–1stJose ZuluetaAppointed Secretary of the InteriorMateo NonatoYes
Cebu–6thNovember 11, 1947Nicolas RafolsDied in officeManuel ZosaYes
Iloilo–4thMarch 23, 1948Mariano PeñafloridaElected Iloilo governorGaudencio DimaisipYes
Leyte–1stCarlos S. TanElected senatorJose MartinezYes
Rizal–2nd2ndNovember 13, 1951Emilio de la PazDied in officeIsaias R. SalongaYes
Occidental MindoroRaul LeuterioDivision of Mindoro provinceJesus V. AbeledaNo
ZambalesRamon MagsaysayAppointed as Secretary of National DefenseCesar MiraflorYes
Albay–1st3rdNovember 8, 1955Lorenzo P. ZigaDied in office in a traffic accidentTecla San Andres ZigaYes
Samar–1stGregorio TanEladio BaliteYes
Negros Occidental–1st5thNovember 12, 1963Vicente Gustillo Sr.Died in officeArmando GustilloYes
Batangas–1stApolinario ApacibleDied in officeLuis LopezNo
Iloilo–3rdNovember 9, 1965Ramon TabianaDied in officeGloria TabianaYes
Davao del Sur6thNovember 14, 1967Lorenzo SarmientoDivision of Davao provinceArtemio LoyolaNo
Davao OrientalConstancio P. MaglanaNo
South CotabatoSalipada PendatunDivision of Cotabato provinceJames L. ChiongbianNo
Ilocos Norte–1stAntonio RaquizaAppointed Secretary of Public WorksRoque Ablan Jr.No
Northern SamarEladio BaliteDied in officeEusebio MooreYes
Agusan del Norte–2nd9thAugust 30, 1993Edelmiro AmanteAppointed Executive SecretaryEdelmiro AmanteYes
Capiz–1stGerardo Roxas Jr.Died in officeMar RoxasYes
Rizal–1stMarch 7, 1994Manuel SanchezDisqualifiedGilberto Duavit Sr.No
Zamboanga del Norte–1st12thAugust 26, 2002Romeo Jalosjos Sr.Dropped from the rollsCecilia Jalosjos CarreonNo
Isabela–4thMay 12, 2003Antonio AbayaDied in officeGiorgidi AggabaoNo
Cebu–5th13thMay 30, 2005Ace DuranoAppointed Secretary of TourismRamon Durano VINo
Cagayan–2nd15thMarch 12, 2011Florencio VargasDied prior to taking officeBaby Aline Vargas-AlfonsoYes
Ilocos Sur–1stMay 28, 2011Ronald SingsonResignedRyan Luis SingsonNo
Zambales–2ndFebruary 4, 2012Antonio DiazDied in officeJun Omar EbdaneYes
Negros Occidental–5thJune 2, 2012Iggy ArroyoDied in officeAlejandro MirasolNo
Cavite–7th19thFebruary 25, 2023Jesus Crispin RemullaAppointed Secretary of JusticeCrispin Diego RemullaYes
Negros Oriental–3rdDecember 9, 2023Arnolfo Teves Jr.ExpelledCancelledN/A

Batasang Pambansa

While the 1973 constitution had the mechanism for calling special elections in case of vacancies in the Batasang Pambansa, and several vacancies indeed happened, no special elections were called.

Statistics

By reason

The most common reason for the vacancies which were filled by special elections since 1907 is resignation (a total of 28 instances)—both from leaving office to assume another position (22), and for other reasons (7). Death of the incumbent representative is the second most common, accounting for more than two-fifths of instances. Other reasons for holding special elections were to fill new seats created upon the establishment of new provinces (4 instances), and to fill the seats vacated after: a winning candidate was disqualified post-election (2), a representative was expelled from the legislature (1), or a representative was "dropped from the rolls" over a criminal conviction (1).

Reason for vacancy Total %
Death/Killing 27 42%
Left office to assume another position 22 34%
Resignation for a reason other than leaving office to assume another position 7 11%
Creation of a new province 4 6%
Disqualification 2 3%
Expulsion 2 2%
Dropped from the rolls 1 2%
Total 65 100%

By legislative era

Most of the special elections—33, or more than half of the 61 conducted as of 2017—were held before the Second World War (1907–1941). In the space of 27 years after the war and before Ferdinand Marcos disbanded Congress and assumed dictatorial powers in 1972, a total of 18 special elections were held. In contrast, since the restoration of Congress in 1987 only 12 special elections have been held in the space of 30 years.

Legislative era Total %
Philippine Assembly (lower house of Philippine Legislature, 1907–1916) 18 28%
House of Representatives (lower house of Philippine Legislature, 1916–1935) 8 13%
National Assembly of the Commonwealth (unicameral body, 1935–1941) 7 11%
National Assembly of the Second Republic (unicameral body, 1943–1944) 0 0%
House of Representatives (lower house of Congress post-war period, 1945–1972) 18 28%
Batasang Pambansa (unicameral body, 1978–1986) 0 0%
House of Representatives (lower house of Congress post-restoration, 1987–present) 13 20%
Total 64 100%

Special elections on other positions

Local legislatures

Legislatures under the Local Government Code

For permanent vacancies in the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (provincial boards), Sangguniang Panlungsod (city councils) of highly urbanized and independent component cities and Sangguniang Bayan (municipal councils) of component municipalities in Metro Manila (currently just Pateros), the president through the Executive Secretary appoints someone from the same political party where the person who caused the vacancy belonged. If the person who vacated the post did not belong to a political party, the local chief executive (the governor or mayor, as the case may be) appoints upon the recommendation of the sanggunian concerned. For vacancies in the city and municipal councils for component cities and municipalities outside Metro Manila, the same process applies, with the local chief executive appointing the replacement. For the Sangguniang Barangay (barangay councils) and Sangguniang Kabataan (youth councils), it shall be filled by the official next in rank.[15] This means no special elections are held for local legislatures under the Local Government Code.

Bangsamoro Parliament

In the Bangsamoro Parliament created via the Bangsamoro Organic Law, a special election may be called if the vacating seat is from an unaffiliated member of parliament, and the vacancy happened at least one year before the next general election. If the vacancy is from an affiliated member of parliament, the party shall nominate a new member, and if it is a proportional seat, the party names the replacement.[16]

Chief executives

The vice president, vice governor and vice mayor shall replace the president, governor and mayor, as the case may be, upon permanent vacancy, and shall serve until the next general election. For permanent vacancy for the barangay chairman, the highest-ranking member of the Sangguniang Barangay (the barangay councilor that received the most votes in the preceding election) shall replace the predecessor. No special election shall be called.

If a permanent vacancy for the president and vice president at the same time occurs, a special election will be called. An extraordinary special election was called in 1986.

Deputy of chief executives

Once a vacancy for the vice governor or vice mayor occurs, the highest-ranking member of the local legislature (the member that received the most votes in the preceding election) shall replace the predecessor. If that member belongs to a political party, that party will nominate a new member to the legislature. If that member is an independent, the governor or mayor will nominate a new member. No special election shall be called.

Delayed elections

On the first type of special elections, the Commission on Elections usually sets the vote a day later, or up to several weeks later. The latest date the commission set a delayed special election is a more than year later after the regular election, when it held the elections for provincial government officials of Sulu in October 1996 after being delayed since May 1995.[17]

In 2018, the barangay elections in Marawi originally scheduled in May 2018 was done in September due to the siege of Marawi.[18]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Revised Election Code.
  2. Web site: Batas Pambansa Blg. 881, s. 1985 GOVPH. 2021-03-24. Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. en-US.
  3. Web site: THE 1987 CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES – ARTICLE VII GOVPH. 2021-04-13. Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. en-US.
  4. Web site: REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6645 – AN ACT PRESCRIBING THE MANNER OF FILING A VACANCY IN THE CONGRESS OF THE PHILIPPINES . Chan Robles Virtual Law Library . July 19, 1998 . November 23, 2010.
  5. Web site: AN ACT PROVIDING FOR SYNCHRONIZED NATIONAL AND LOCAL ELECTIONS AND FOR ELECTORAL REFORMS, AUTHORIZING APPROPRIATIONS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES . The Lawphil Project . November 26, 1991 . November 23, 2010.
  6. Web site: AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE PROCLAMATION OF A LONE CANDIDATE FOR ANY ELECTIVE OFFICE IN A SPECIAL ELECTION, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES . . February 16, 2015.
  7. Web site: Villar. Manuel B. Jr.. July 22, 2005. Senate Bill No. 672 – AN ACT PRESCRIBING THE PROCEDURE FOR THE EXPEDITIOUS HOLDING OF A SPECIAL ELECTION IN CASE OF VACANCY IN THE CONGRESS OF THE PHILIPPINES, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NUMBER I SIXTY-SIX HUNDRED AND FORTY-FIVE, ENTITLED "AN ACT PRESCRIBING THE MANNER OF FILLING A VACANCY IN THE CONGRESS OF THE PHILIPPINES. December 1, 2017. Senate of the Philippines.
  8. Web site: Congressional Library Bureau. Roster of Philippine Legislators. 7 February 2017. Republic of the Philippines, House of Representatives.
  9. News: Clam Victory Amid Violence . Associated Press . . November 17, 1951 . December 6, 2012.
  10. Web site: List of Previous Senators . Senate.gov.ph . December 6, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070423153244/http://www.senate.gov.ph/senators/senlist.asp . April 23, 2007 .
  11. News: ARTURO M. TOLENTINO and ARTURO C. MOJICA, petitioners, vs. COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS, SENATOR RALPH G. RECTO and SENATOR GREGORIO B. HONASAN, respondents. . January 21, 2004 . November 25, 2010.
  12. News: Senate facts – Miriam Coronel Ferrer . Miriam . Coronel Ferrer . June 17, 2010 . November 22, 2010 . ABS-CBNNews.com.
  13. Book: Executive Orders and Proclamations Issued by the Governor-general. 1916. Bureau of Printing. 278–279.
  14. Book: Tiangco, Cesar S.. Rizal Province: A Political History. 1967. Rizal Cultural Committee. 189.
  15. Web site: Book I - Title Two - Chapter 2. 2012-05-02. COMELEC.gov.ph. 2020-04-09.
  16. Web site: Republic Act No. 11054. Official Gazette. 2020-04-09.
  17. Web site: Manila Standard - Google News Archive Search. 2021-04-13. news.google.com.
  18. News: Barangay, SK elections in Marawi set on September 22. en. Rappler. 12 August 2018.