2022 Philippine general election

The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines states that unless otherwise provided by law, the election of members of Congress is held on the second Monday of May.[1] According to Republic Act No. 7166, the election for national, provincial, city and municipal positions are held on the second Monday of May, since 1992, and every three years thereafter, with the president and vice president being elected in six-year intervals.[2] It has been three years since the 2019 general election and six years since the 2016 presidential election, and with no law postponing the election to date, this meant that the election is scheduled to be held on May 9, 2022.

House Deputy Majority Leader and representative from Pampanga's 2nd district Mikey Arroyo asked the Commission on Elections on a hearing for the 2021 budget if the election can be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] Sherriff Abas, the chairman of the commission, said that it has not entered their minds, that the terms are fixed, adding that they are planning on having the vote done on two days.[4] Arroyo's suggestion drew flak from many people, with former COMELEC commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal saying that if people can visit Boracay and the Manila Bay Beach in October 2020, then they can they vote in May 2022. Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. described the suggestion as treasonous.[5] Arroyo later explained that he did not want the election to be postponed immediately, and that it is to be done only as a "last resort".[6]

Abas later explained that postponement of the elections is indeed possible, but only if Congress passes a law doing that, and if it is approved by the people in a plebiscite. The commission has no part in scheduling the election outside from what is mandated by the constitution.[7]

A group called Coalition for Life and Democracy petitioned the commission to postpone the elections due to ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. The group conceded that only Congress can postpone the election, and that their petition contained different dates to hold the election: the body of the petition called for it to be rescheduled to May 2023. but the prayer in it called for it to be held on May 2025.[8] James Jimenez, the commission's spokesperson, said that postponing the elections in unconstitutional.[9] The group's legal counsel, Francisco Buan Jr., later clarified they want to postpone the election to 2023, that they are apolitical, and that they do not aim to extend president Duterte's term. Buan was a spokesperson of the Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte National Executive Coordinating Committee.[10]

In September 2020, Duterte appointed lawyer Michael Peloton as commissioner, filling in for the seat vacated by Luie Tito Guia's retirement. As this was a regular appointment as opposed to an ad interim one made when Congress is in recess, Peloton has to be confirmed by the Commission on Appointments before he can take office.[11] In November, Duterte appointed Davao del Norte election supervisor Aimee Ferolino Ampoloquio to the seat vacated by Al Parreño.[12]

By October 2021, there were reports that Duterte will appoint the Melvin Matibag, the secretary-general of the PDP–Laban faction preferred by the former, as chairman. Matibag denied he knows about him in talks in being appointed as chairman.[13] Several weeks later, Duterte appointed Rey Bulay, chief prosecutor of Manila, as commissioner, with a term ending in 2027, replacing Peloton, who was rejected by the Commission on Appointments.[14] Bulay was accepted by the Commission on Appointments on December 1.[15]

Voter registration began on January 20, 2020, and was scheduled to end on September 30, 2021. The commission expects 4.3 million eligible voters to register. Registration was suspended in some areas in Cavite, Laguna and Batangas due to the Taal Volcano eruption, and in Makilala, Cotabato due to an earthquake.[16] However, even before registration for 2022 opened, many other voters enrolled early between August 1 and September 30, 2019, ahead of the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections initially scheduled for May 11, 2020, but were eventually postponed after the general election to December 5, 2022.[17][18]

On March 10, the commission suspended voter registration in the entire country due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines.[19] By June, the commission announced its initial resumption on July 1.[20] However, the commission suspended voter registration anew up to August 31.[21] The commission later stated on August 15 that voter registration would resume on September 1 in areas under general community quarantine (GCQ) or modified general community quarantine (MGCQ). Areas under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) will have their registration suspended.[22]

Registration in the province of Palawan was also suspended due to the plebiscite to divide it into three provinces on March 13, 2021.[23] The plebiscite was originally set on May 11, 2020, but was rescheduled due to the pandemic.[24][25]

In some areas, almost eight months of voter registration were lost due to lockdowns.[26] There were calls to extend voter registration after September 30, 2021, but the commission rejected this, saying that this will delay other election-related activities.[27] The commission instead allowed voter registration to continue in areas under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) starting on September 6, with longer hours, and even in malls.[28]

With barely a week before registration closed, the Senate passed a bill on second reading extending registration for another month.[29] The House of Representatives likewise passed a similar bill days later, also on second reading.[30] Earlier, both chambers separately passed resolutions urging the commission to extend registration,[31] while the Senate threatened to cut the commission's 2022 budget if registration is not extended.[32] On the eve of the end of registration, Sheriff Abas announced that they approved extending registration from October 11 to 30 for voters in the Philippines, and from October 1 to 14 for overseas voters.[33] On the same day, President Duterte signed into law extending registration for 30 days from when it is made effective.[34]

After extended registration ended, the commission announced that 400,000 people registered in October.[35]

Representative from Camarines Sur Luis Raymund Villafuerte proposed to use a hybrid electoral system in 2022, or manual counting of votes, then electronic transmission of results. This is in contrast to the automated counting and transmission system used since 2010. He cited 40 lawsuits on the current system used by the Commission on Elections as evidence to shift away from automated counting of votes.[36] President Rodrigo Duterte has suggested junking Smartmatic as the automation partner for future elections because of problems from the previous election.[37] However, Smartmatic still wants to participate in the future.[38] In May 2021, the commission awarded the contract to conduct automated elections, specifically the software that will be used in the voting machines to Smartmatic.[39] Days later, the commission defended their decision, saying that Smartmatic was chosen legitimately.[40]

By August, the commission awarded to F2 Logistics, a logistics company associated with Dennis Uy, a known associate of President Duterte, the logistics administration of the election.[41] Former elections commissioner Gus Lagman said that the awarding of the contract to F2 Logistics is a "conflict of interest," as Uy donated to Duterte's 2016 presidential campaign.[42] The commission again defended their decision, saying that the deal with F2 Logistics is "legal and valid."[43]

In April 2020, COMELEC Commissioner Rowena Guanzon has proposed voting by mail as an option in the elections, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[44] By May 2021, Commissioner Antonio Kho Jr. said that voting hours will be extended, as the eight-hour timeframe given for previous elections cannot be used any longer. As for voting in multiple days, Kho said that only a law passed by Congress will allow that to happen.[45]

Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, in a privilege speech, disclosed that he commissioned a Pulse Asia survey on July 2021 which said that 46% of voters will not vote if COVID-19 cases in their barangay is high on election day, with 35% willing to vote and 19% undecided. Zubiri questioned if the public will accept the results if less than majority of the voters turned out to vote.[46]

In November 2020, the 80-person Bangsamoro Parliament passed a resolution urging Congress to extend the transition from June 2022 to 2025. If Congress agrees, no election shall be held.[47] By July 2021, senator Juan Miguel Zubiri said that postponing the Bangsamoro election to 2025 is likely.[48] In September, the Senate passed a bill postponing the election to 2025.[49] A few days later, the House of Representatives passed their own version of the bill.[50] As the two bills are different, it had to be reconciled before being sent to the President Duterte for his signature.[51] Conference committee approved the Senate version, giving the winner of the 2022 presidential election the power of appointing the next transitional parliament.[52] Duterte then signed the bill into law, postponing the election to 2025.[53]

National political conventions and assemblies were held to nominate candidates in the upcoming election.[59]

Some of the results of the national conventions were noticeably not followed. For the Cusi faction of the PDP–Laban, Bong Go declined to run for president,[69] and Rodrigo Duterte, who originally accepted the nomination,[69] changed his mind and announced his retirement from politics.[70] In the end, Go became the vice presidential nominee,[71] while Ronald dela Rosa was named their presidential nominee.[72]

For the Pimentel faction of the same party, Manny Pacquiao was named their standard bearer,[73] but carried the PROMDI party banner in his candidacy, after their faction and PROMDI forged an electoral alliance.[74]

Marcos was named nominee of at least four parties, and chose to run under the PFP.[75]

PLM only nominated De Guzman for president in their convention. Former Akbayan representative Walden Bello was eventually chosen to be his running mate.[76]

In the flurry of substitutions prior to the deadline, Rodrigo Duterte and Bong Go, erstwhile PDP–Laban politicians, will run under the Pederalismo ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan as senator and president respectively, to avoid legal complications amidst the ongoing dispute in PDP–Laban.[77] Go himself later on announced his withdrawal from the presidential election.[78]

The Philippines is a multi-party democracy. This means parties enter into coalitions and alliances with each other prior to, during and after elections in order to be a part of government. These coalitions are ordered by date when it was formalized.

Laura del Rosario, a former Undersecretary for International Economic Affairs, encouraged the public to reject "Manchurian candidates," or candidates who are clandestinely supported by China. Richard Heydarian, a nonresident fellow at Stratbase ADR Institute, noted that "The Duterte administration shows acquiescence does not bear fruit." Del Rosario also said that to ensure that a pro-Chinese leader is elected, China may support more than one candidate in the election.[83] Issues on the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has also been raised.[84]

Substitution of candidates aside from death or illness is allowed in the Philippines, under the Omnibus Election Code. In case of withdrawal, the substitute can replace the original candidate only on the commission's set schedule; for death or disqualification, the substitute can replace the original candidate until midday of election day.[85] Incumbent president Rodrigo Duterte notably was a substitute in 2016 where he won.[86] Deputy speaker Rufus Rodriguez proposed to ban such substitutions, and to reimpose the old rule that automatically makes candidates deemed as resigned on any political position that they are on.[87] The commission promised to be firm on rules regarding substitution after Sara Duterte missed the deadline to file a presidential candidacy.[88]

The presidential election will determine the successor of Rodrigo Duterte. Duterte is term-limited and cannot run for president. A total 97 people signed up to run for president.[90]

The vice presidential election will determine the successor of Leni Robredo. Robredo can be re-elected as vice president but chose to run for president. A total of 29 people signed up to run for vice president.[90]

The 19th Congress of the Philippines will be known after the election.

Twelve of 24 seats in the Senate, or those last contested in 2016, are up for election. The winners will take office with the winners of the 2019 election. There are 178 people who signed up to run for senator.[90]

All 316 seats in the House of Representatives will be up for election, an increase of 12 seats from the outgoing 18th Congress. There are now 253 congressional districts, each electing one representative, and 63 seats elected via the party-list system on a nationwide vote.[89] There are 733 people who signed up to run for Congress.[90]

Local elections above the barangay level are expected to be held along with the national elections:[89]

• All 81 governors and vice governors, and 782 seats to provincial boards in all provinces;
• All 146 city mayors and vice mayors, and 1,650 seats to city councils in all cities
• All 1,488 municipal mayors and vice mayors, and 11,908 seats to municipal councils in all municipalities