List of legislatures of the Philippines


The Philippines has been governed by legislatures since 1898. The country has had different setups, with legislatures under the presidential system and the parliamentary system, and with legislatures having one or two chambers.
The first national legislature in the Philippines was the Malolos Congress that convened in the Barasoain Church at Malolos, Bulacan. Convened after the declaration of independence from Spain at the height of the Philippine Revolution, the Congress ratified the declaration, and drafted a constitution. With the capture of President Emilio Aguinaldo during the ensuing Philippine–American War, the unrecognized First Philippine Republic fell.
The Americans then sent several commissions to assess the situation; these eventually became the Philippine Commission. With the passage of the Philippine Bill of 1902, the Philippine Commission eventually became an appointive upper house of the new Philippine Legislature, of which the wholly elected Philippine Assembly was the lower house. The passage of the Philippine Autonomy Act instituted a mostly elective Senate as the upper house, with the House of Representatives as the lower house. This set up continued until the 1935 Constitution of the Philippines was set into force, creating a unicameral National Assembly under the Commonwealth of the Philippines. Amendments that took effect in 1941 restored the bicameral setup, creating the Commonwealth Congress. However, World War II intervened, and legislators elected in 1941 were not able to serve. The invading Japanese set up the Second Philippine Republic that convened its own National Assembly.
The Allies reconquered the Philippines and the legislators elected in 1941 who are either still alive or are not arrested for collaboration convened in 1945. The Americans granted independence on July 4, 1946, and the Commonwealth Congress was renamed as Congress of the Republic of the Philippines. This will continue until the declaration of martial law by President Ferdinand Marcos on September 23, 1972, which effectively dissolved Congress. Marcos then exercised legislative power; his 1973 Constitution created the unicameral Batasang Pambansa, a parliament. The Batasang Pambansa first convened in 1978, and will continue to exist until the 1986 People Power Revolution that overthrew Marcos from power. President Corazon Aquino appointed a constitutional commission that drafted the 1987 Constitution which restored the bicameral Congress with the presidential system of government.

List

Per party

These are at the start of every legislature. A politician may switch parties mid-term. Appointed members appear after the plus sign.

Senate

YearLPNPPFDPNCPPPPIndTotal
1947167124
1949184124
1951141024
19537132124
195523124
1957221124
1959419124
19618131224
196310111224
19659121224
19677151124
19695171124
1971815124

House of Representatives

YearLPNPKBLOthersIndSecTotal
194960336 Liberal-Avelino wing1100
1953315911 Democratic1102
195719821 NCP102
196129741104
196561381 independent Nacionalista, 1 independent Liberal3104
196918882 independent Nacionalista2110
197815013 Pusyon Bisaya, 2 minor parties0+14165
1984211461 UNIDO60+9183
Party-list elections
This includes all parties that have won at least 2 seats in any election.
Party1998200120042007201020132016201920222025
APEC22321111
Akbayan113222113
Alagad1121
Butil122111
Bayan Muna3332213
CIBAC122221211
Buhay1232221
Anakpawis221111
Gabriela2222211
PM12
A TEACHER22211
ARC2
AMIN112121
Abono222211
YACAP2111
AGAP2121111
Ako Bikol323222
Senior Citizens22111
Coop-NATCCO112222111
1-CARE221
An Waray112111
OFW Family Club21
Magdalo211
ACT-CIS1332
1-PACMAN221
ACT Teachers112111
Kabayan21
Agri1211
PBA1211
Ang Probinsyano21
Marino21
Probinsyano Ako21
1 Rider21
Tingog123
4Ps22
SAGIP11121
Duterte Youth113
Other parties84318242121233339
Total party-list seats14142853575959616363

Graphical timeline

;Legend

Senate

House of Representatives

  • Gaps from 1946 to 1971 refer to instances when there was no lower house election for it was a midterm election. Starting in 1995, a midterm election includes both upper and lower house elections.

Chronological timeline



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from:09/15/1898 till:11/13/1899 text:"Malolos Congress" color:Malolos
from:09/01/1901 till:10/16/1907 text:"2nd Philippine Commission" color:USA
from:10/16/1907 till:05/20/1909 text:"1st Philippine Legislature" color:USA
from:03/28/1910 till:02/06/1912 text:"2nd Philippine Legislature" color:USA
from:10/16/1912 till:02/24/1916 text:"3rd Philippine Legislature" color:USA
from:10/16/1916 till:02/08/1919 text:"4th Philippine Legislature" color:USA
from:07/21/1919 till:02/14/1922 text:"5th Philippine Legislature" color:USA
from:07/16/1922 till:02/08/1925 text:"6th Philippine Legislature" color:USA
from:07/16/1925 till:11/09/1927 text:"7th Philippine Legislature" color:USA
from:07/16/1928 till:11/07/1930 text:"8th Philippine Legislature" color:USA
from:07/16/1931 till:05/05/1934 text:"9th Philippine Legislature" color:USA
from:07/24/1934 till:11/21/1935 text:"10th Philippine Legislature" color:USA
from:11/25/1935 till:08/30/1938 text:"1st National Assembly" color:Common
from:01/24/1939 till:12/10/1941 text:"2nd National Assembly" color:Common
from:10/17/1943 till:02/02/1944 text:"National Assembly of the Second Republic" color:2nd
from:06/13/1945 till:12/20/1945 text:"1st Commonwealth Congress" color:Common
from:05/25/1946 till:07/04/1946 text:"2nd Commonwealth Congress" color:Common
from:07/05/1946 till:12/13/1949 text:"1st Congress" color:3rd
from:12/30/1949 till:12/08/1953 text:"2nd Congress" color:3rd
from:01/24/1954 till:12/10/1957 text:"3rd Congress" color:3rd
from:01/27/1958 till:12/13/1961 text:"4th Congress" color:3rd
from:01/22/1962 till:12/17/1965 text:"5th Congress" color:3rd
from:01/17/1966 till:06/17/1969 text:"6th Congress" color:3rd
from:01/26/1970 till:09/23/1972 text:"7th Congress" color:3rd
from:09/23/1972 till:06/11/1978 text:"Abolished " color:abolished
from:06/12/1978 till:06/05/1984 text:"Interim Batasang Pambansa" color:4th
from:07/23/1984 till:03/25/1986 text:"Regular Batasang Pambansa" color:4th
from:03/25/1986 till:07/27/1987 text:"Abolished " color:abolished
from:07/27/1987 till:06/11/1992 text:"8th Congress" color:5th
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from:07/27/1992 till:06/30/1995 text:"9th Congress" color:5th
from:07/24/1995 till:05/28/1998 text:"10th Congress" color:5th
from:07/27/1998 till:06/30/2001 text:"11th Congress" color:5th
from:07/21/2001 till:06/11/2004 text:"12th Congress" color:5th
from:07/26/2004 till:06/08/2007 text:"13th Congress" color:5th
from:07/24/2007 till:06/30/2010 text:"14th Congress" color:5th
from:07/26/2010 till:06/30/2013 text:"15th Congress" color:5th
from:07/22/2013 till:06/30/2016 text:"16th Congress" color:5th
from:07/25/2016 till:06/30/2019 text:"17th Congress" color:5th
from:07/22/2019 till:06/30/2022 text:"18th Congress" color:5th
from:07/25/2022 till:06/30/2025 text:"19th Congress" color:5th
from:07/28/2025 till:end text:"20th Congress" color:5th