The vice president of the Philippines is the second-highest executive official in the government of the Philippines. The vice president is directly elected by qualified voters to a six-year term, and may be a cabinet member without confirmation from the Commission on Appointments and is first in the presidential line of succession. There have been 15 vice presidents.
The office of vice president was initially created following the ratification of the 1935 Constitution of the Philippines, which states that the vice-president shall be elected by direct vote of the people. Vice presidents during the Commonwealth of the Philippines were under American sovereignty, and there was no office of vice president during the Second Republic, which was considered to be a puppet state of Imperial Japan during World War II. During the martial law declared by President Ferdinand Marcos from 1972 to 1981, the office of the vice-president was abolished and the sitting vice-president, Fernando Lopez, was removed from the office. Though the 1973 Constitution initially did not provide for a vice president, subsequent amendments restored the office. A vice president was appointed after the 1986 election when Marcos and Arturo Tolentino were proclaimed as winners by the Batasang Pambansa. However, in 1986, the People Power Revolution overthrew Marcos' dictatorship and repealed the 1973 Constitution. In 2013, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines through Resolution No. 2, series of 2013 declared that Tolentino is not part of the official list of vice presidents of the Philippines.[1] The subsequently formed 1987 Constitution of the Philippines was established, which states that: "There shall be a vice-president who shall have the same qualifications and term of office and be elected with, and in the same manner, as the president."
Before the ratification of the 1987 constitution, in case of an intra-term vacancy, there was no process to appoint a new vice president until after the next election. However, after the ratification of the 1987 constitution, the president could nominate a vice president in case of an intra-term vacancy from a member of the congress, whom both houses vote separately for confirmation by a majority vote. In 2001, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo became president after the Supreme Court of the Philippines ruled that President Joseph Estrada resigned. A few days later, she appointed Teofisto Guingona as the vice president. Guingona is the only person being unelected to the position.[2]
Three vice presidents have succeeded to the presidency due to the death of presidents: Sergio Osmeña in 1944, Elpidio Quirino in 1948, and Carlos P. Garcia in 1957. Fernando Lopez was the longest-serving vice-president, who served for a combined total of almost 11 years. Elpidio Quirino served the shortest time as vice-president for approximately 1 year 11 months. Sara Duterte is the current vice president.
Historians and other figures have identified the following people as having held the vice-presidency of a government intended to represent the Philippines, but their terms of office are not counted by the Philippine government as part of the presidential succession.
The inclusion of Mariano Trías in the list is disputed, because Trias was chosen as vice-president at the Tejeros Convention, and again as vice-president for the short-lived Republic of Biak-na-Bato, which was dissolved after the signing of the Pact of Biak-na-Bato and Aguinaldo's exile. Neither the reassumption of power by Emilio Aguinaldo when the revolution was resumed in May 1898 nor his formal proclamation and inauguration as president under the First Philippine Republic in 1899 were regimes that provided for a vice-presidency.[3]
| Portrait | Name | Party | Term | President | Era | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mariano Trías | None | March 22, 1897 – January 23, 1899 | Emilio Aguinaldo | Tejeros Convention | ||
| Republic of Biak-na-Bato | ||||||
| Francisco Carreón | None | May 6, 1902 – July 14, 1906 | Macario Sakay | Tagalog Republic | ||
| Ramón Avanceña | Kapisanan ng Paglilingkod sa Bagong Pilipinas | October 14, 1943 – January 15, 1944 | Jose P. Laurel | Second Republic | ||
| Benigno Aquino Sr. | Kapisanan ng Paglilingkod sa Bagong Pilipinas | January 15, 1944 – August 17, 1945 | ||||
| Ramón Avanceña | Liberal Party | December 30, 1948 – December 30, 1949 | Elpidio Quirino | Third Republic | ||
| Vice president | President served under | Year(s) served | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sergio Osmeña | Manuel L. Quezon | 1935–1944 | Osmeña succeeded Quezon, after the latter's death | |
| Elpidio Quirino | Manuel Roxas | 1946–1948 | Quirino succeeded Roxas, after the latter's death; ran and won a full term in 1949. | |
| Carlos P. Garcia | Ramon Magsaysay | 1953–1957 | Garcia succeeded Magsaysay, after the latter's death; ran and won a full term in 1957. | |
| Diosdado Macapagal | Carlos P. Garcia | 1957–1961 | Macapagal defeated Garcia in 1961. | |
| Joseph Estrada | Fidel V. Ramos | 1992–1998 | Estrada ran for a full term in 1998. | |
| Gloria Macapagal Arroyo | Joseph Estrada | 1998–2001 | Arroyo succeeded Estrada, after the latter's resignation; ran and won a full term in 2004. |
The following cabinet secretaries are only served for fulltime. Vice presidents served as cabinet secretary concurrently, and post-vice presidency positions are not included.
| Secretary | Office | President served under | Year(s) served | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elpidio Quirino | Secretary of Finance | Manuel Quezon | 1934–1936 | |
| Secretary of Interior | 1935–1938 | |||
| Teofisto Guingona, Jr. | Secretary of Justice | Fidel V. Ramos | 1995–1998 |
| Name | Office | President served under | Year(s) served |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teofisto Guingona | Chairman, Commission on Audit | Corazon Aquino | 1986–1987 |
| Executive Secretary of the Philippines | Fidel V. Ramos | 1993–1995 | |
| Gloria Macapagal Arroyo | Undersecretary of the Department of Trade and Industry | Corazon Aquino | 1987–1992 |
| Jejomar Binay | Chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority | Corazon Aquino | 1990–1991 |
| Joseph Estrada | 1999–2001 |
| Senator | District | Year(s) served | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sergio Osmeña | 10th | 1922–1935 | First vice president to serve as president pro tempore (1922–1934) |
| Elpidio Quirino | 1st | 1925–1935; 1945–1946 | Second vice president to serve as president pro tempore (1945–1946) |
| Fernando Lopez | At-large | 1947–1949 | As a Liberal |
| 1953–1965 | As a Democrat and Nacionalista; third vice president to serve as president pro tempore (1958–1965); Only former vice president to be elected again in the same position. | ||
| Carlos P. Garcia | 1945–1953 | First vice president to serve as the minority floor leader (1946–1953) | |
| Emmanuel Pelaez | 1953–1959 | Only former vice president elected in the Senate | |
| Salvador Laurel | 1967–1972 | Did not finished term due to martial law | |
| Joseph Estrada | 1987–1992 | ||
| Gloria Macapagal Arroyo | 1992–1998 | First term only three years; did not finished second term, won vice presidency | |
| Teofisto Guingona, Jr. | 1987–1993 | Second vice president to serve as president pro tempore (1987–1990)Only vice president to serve as the majority floor leader (1990–1991); did not finish second term, appointed as the executive secretary | |
| 1998–2001 | Second and last vice president to be the minority floor leader, 1998–2001Did not finished term, appointed to the vice presidency | ||
| Noli De Castro | 2001–2004 | Did not finished term, won vice presidency |
| Legislator | District | Lower House Name | Year(s) served | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sergio Osmeña | Cebu 2nd | Philippine Assembly | 1907–1916 | First president to serve as speaker (1907–1916) |
| House of Representatives | 1916–1922 | |||
| Elpidio Quirino | Ilocos Sur 1st | House of Representatives | 1919–1925 | |
| Carlos P. Garcia | Bohol 3rd | 1925–1931 | ||
| Diosdado Macapagal | Pampanga 1st | 1949–1957 | ||
| Leni Robredo | Camarines Sur 3rd | 2013– 2016 | Only one term congressperson won the vice presidency |
| Governor | Province | Year(s) served | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sergio Osmeña | Cebu | 1904–1907 | ||
| Carlos P. Garcia | Bohol | 1933–1941 | ||
| Jejomar Binay | Metro Manila | 1987–1988 | Acting/Interim basis |
| Mayor | Province | Year(s) served | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fernando Lopez | Iloilo | 1945–1947 | Appointed | |
| Joseph Estrada | San Juan | 1969–1986 | Only former vice president served as mayor and only former vice president to serve as mayor to another city (2013–2019) | |
| Jejomar Binay | Makati | 1986–1987 | OIC mayor | |
| 1988–1998 | Elected; first vice president without congressional experience. | |||
| 2001–2010 | ||||
| Sara Duterte | Davao City | 2010–2013; 2016–2022 | Only vice president served as vice mayor (2007–2010); second vice president without congressional experience. |
| Secretary | Office | President served under | Year(s) served | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sergio Osmeña | Secretary of Public Instruction | Manuel Quezon | 1935–1940 | |
| Secretary of Public Instruction, Health, and Public Welfare | 1941–1944 | |||
| Elpidio Quirino | Secretary of Foreign Affairs | Manuel Roxas | 1946–1950 | |
| Fernando Lopez | Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources | Elpidio Quirino | 1949–1953 | |
| Ferdinand Marcos | 1965–1971 | |||
| Carlos P. Garcia | Secretary of Foreign Affairs | Ramon Magsaysay | 1953–1957 | |
| Emmanuel Pelaez | Diosdado Macapagal | 1961– 1963 | ||
| Salvador Laurel | Corazon Aquino | 1986–1987 | ||
| Gloria Macapagal Arroyo | Secretary of Social Welfare and Development | Joseph Estrada | 1998–2000 | |
| Teofisto Guingona, Jr. | Secretary of Foreign Affairs | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo | 2001–2002 | |
| Sara Duterte | Secretary of Education | Bongbong Marcos | 2022–2024 |
| Name | Office | President served under | Year(s) served |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Estrada | Chairman of the Presidential Anti-Crime Commission | Fidel V. Ramos | 1992–1997 |
| Noli De Castro | Chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo | 2004–2010 |
| Jejomar Binay | Chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council | Benigno Aquino III | 2010–2015 |
| Presidential Adviser for Overseas Filipino Workers | |||
| Leni Robredo | Chairperson of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council | Rodrigo Duterte | 2016 |
| Co-Chairperson of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs | 2019 |
| President | Born | Age at | Age at | timespan | Lifespan | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Died | Age | |||||||
| 1 | Sergio Osmeña | September 9, 1878 | 57 years, 2 months, 7 days November 15, 1935 | 65 years, 10 months, 23 days August 1, 1944 | 17 years, 2 months, 8 days | October 19, 1961 | 83 years | |
| 2 | Elpidio Quirino | November 16, 1890 | 55 years, 6 months, 12 day May 28, 1946 | 57 years, 5 months, 1 day April 17, 1948 | 9 years, 9 month, 1 days | February 29, 1956 | 65 years | |
| 3 | Fernando Lopez | April 13, 1904 | 45 years, 8 months, 17 days December 30, 1949 | 49 years old, 8 months, 17 days December 30, 1953 | 16 years, 0 month, 0 days | May 26, 1993 | 89 years | |
| 4 | Carlos P. Garcia | November 4, 1896 | 57 years, 1 months, 26 days December 30, 1953 | 60 years, 5 months, 14 days March 18, 1957 | 14 years, 2 months, 27 days | June 14, 1971 | 74 years | |
| 5 | Diosdado Macapagal | September 28, 1910 | 47 years, 3 months, 2 days December 30, 1957 | 51 years, 3 months, 2 days December 30, 1961 | 35 years, 3 months, 28 days | April 21, 1997 | 86 years | |
| 6 | Emmanuel Pelaez | November 30, 1915 | 46 years, 1 month, 0 day December 30, 1961 | 50 years, 1 month, 0 day December 30, 1965 | 37 years, 6 months, 27 days | July 27, 2003 | 87 years | |
| 7 | Fernando Lopez | April 13, 1904 | 59 years, 5 months, 5 days December 30, 1965 | 68 years, 5 months, 10 days September 23, 1972 | 20 years, 8 months, 5 days | May 26, 1993 | 89 years | |
| 8 | Salvador Laurel | November 18, 1928 | 57 years old, 3 months, 7 days February 25, 1986 | 63 years old, 7 months, 12 days June 30, 1992 | 11 years, 6 month, 28 days | January 27, 2004 | 75 years | |
| 9 | Joseph Estrada | April 19, 1937 | 55 years, 2 months, 17 days June 30, 1992 | 61 years, 2 months, 11 days June 30, 1998 | (Living) | (Living) | ||
| 10 | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo | April 5, 1947 | 51 years, 2 months, 25 days June 30, 1998 | 53 years, 9 months, 15 days January 20, 2001 | (Living) | (Living) | ||
| 11 | Teofisto Guingona Jr. | July 4, 1928 | 72 years, 7 months, 3 days February 7, 2001 | 75 years, 11 months, 26 days June 30, 2004 | (Living) | (Living) | ||
| 12 | Noli De Castro | July 6, 1949 | 54 years, 11 months, 24 days June 30, 2004 | 60 years, 11 months, 24 days June 30, 2010 | (Living) | (Living) | ||
| 13 | Jejomar Binay | November 11, 1942 | 67 years, 7 months, 19 days June 30, 2010 | 73 years, 7 months, 19 days June 30, 2016 | (Living) | (Living) | ||
| 14 | Leni Robredo | April 23, 1965 | 51 years, 2 months, 7 days June 30, 2016 | 57 years, 2 months, 10 days June 30, 2022 | (Living) | (Living) | ||
| 15 | Sara Duterte | May 31, 1978 | 44 years, 0 month, 30 days June 30, 2022 | (Incumbent) | (Incumbent) | (Living) | ||
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