List of female senators of the Philippines


This is a list of women senators of the Philippines. It is a guide to identify the women in the Philippines who has served as senators in the Senate of the Philippines, as distinct from the existing whole list of Philippine senators.
Since 1947, there have been 23 Filipino women senators in Philippine history. In the current 18th Congress, there are 7 incumbent female senators.

History

The first female senator elected in the Philippines was Geronima Pecson, who reaped the third largest number of votes during the Philippine senatorial elections of 1947. During her senatorial term, Pecson headed the Senate Committee on Education, the Senate Committee on Health and Public Welfare, and the Joint Congressional Committee on Education.
Eva Estrada-Kalaw was the first woman to be re-elected as senator.
Nikki Coseteng was the youngest senator during the 9th and 10th Congress. She was first elected in 1992 and then re-elected in 1995.
Loren Legarda is the first Filipino woman senator to top the Senate race twice in 1998 and 2007. She also became the first Filipino woman to become Majority Floor Leader of the Senate. She was also the youngest senator during the 11th Congress.
Pia Cayetano is the youngest woman elected senator in Philippine history at the age of 38. She was elected in 2004, then re-elected in 2010. She returned to the Senate in 2019.
Loi Ejercito Estrada became the first First Spouse to be elected in the Senate. She served from 2001 to 2007 after her husband's removal from the presidency in 2001.
Leticia Ramos-Shahani became the first Filipino woman to become President pro tempore of the Senate in 1993.
Santanina Rasul is the first Filipina Muslim senator.
Tecla San Andres Ziga was the first woman in the Philippines to top the bar examinations for law degree graduates. She was elected as a senator in 1963.
Miriam Defensor Santiago was the first Filipino and first Asian from a developing country to be elected as a judge of the International Criminal Court on December 12, 2011. She later resigned the post due to chronic fatigue syndrome, which turned out to be lung cancer.
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was the first female senator who was elected as vice-president and later installed to the presidency.
Risa Hontiveros is the Philippines' first socialist woman senator, representing the Akbayan party-list.

Female senators

Living former female senators

As of May 2020, there are 6 living former female senators:
  1. Nina Rasul —
  2. Loi Estrada —
  3. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo —
  4. Nikki Coseteng —
  5. Jamby Madrigal —
  6. Loren Legarda —

    Time series


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DateFormat = yyyy
Period = from:1945 till:2025
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width:5 align:left fontsize:S shift: anchor:till
barset:Sens
from:1947 till:1953 color:Lib text:"Geronima Pecson "
from:1955 till:1961 color:Nac text:"Pacita Madrigal-Warns "
from:1961 till:1967 color:Lib text:"Maria Kalaw Katigbak "
from:1963 till:1969 color:Lib text:"Tecla San Andres Ziga "
from:1965 till:1972 color:Nac text:"Eva Estrada Kalaw "
from:1967 till:1972 color:Nac text:"Magnolia Antonino "
from:1967 till:1972 color:Nac text:"Helena Benitez "
bar:Ramos
from:1987 till:1992 color:LDP
from:1992 till:1998 color:Lakas text:"Leticia Ramos-Shahani "
bar:Rasul
from:1987 till:1992 color:Lib
from:1992 till:1995 color:Lakas text:"Nina Rasul "
barset:Sens2
from:1992 till:2001 color:NPC text:"Nikki Coseteng "
from:1992 till:1998 color:LDP text:"Gloria Macapagal Arroyo "
from:1995 till:2001 color:PRP text:"Miriam Defensor Santiago "
from:1998 till:2004 color:LDP text:"Teresa Aquino-Oreta "
bar:Legarda
from:1998 till:2004 color:Lakas
from:2004 till:2004 color:Ind text:"Loren Legarda "
bar:Ejercito
from:2001 till:2004 color:Ind
from:2004 till:2007 color:PMP text:"Loi Ejercito "
bar:Madrigal
from:2004 till:2007 color:LDP
from:2007 till:2009 color:PDP-L
from:2009 till:2010 color:Ind text:"Jamby Madrigal "
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from:2004 till:2016 color:Nac text:"Pia Cayetano "
from:2004 till:2016 color:PRP text:"Miriam Defensor Santiago "
from:2007 till:2019 color:NPC text:"Loren Legarda "
from:2013 till:2025 color:UNA text:"Nancy Binay "
from:2013 till:2025 color:Ind text:"Grace Poe "
from:2013 till:2025 color:Nac text:"Cynthia Villar "
from:2016 till:2025 color:Lib text:"Leila de Lima "
from:2016 till:2025 color:red text:"Risa Hontiveros "
from:2019 till:2025 color:Nac text:"Pia Cayetano "
from:2019 till:2025 color:Nac text:"Imee Marcos "
barset:skip

Per Congress