IN BRIEF: PH Election Day 2025

Keep reading PhilSTAR L!fe for the latest on the 2025 midterm elections.

• As of 7:15, the transmission and reception of election returns began through the Comelec results website.
• Sen. Bong Go, Bam Aquino, Sen. Bato Dela Rosa, Erwin Tulfo, and Kiko Pangilinan lead the Senate race, as of 10:08 p.m. Ping Lacson, Rodante Marcoleta, Tito Sotto, Sen. Pia Cayetano, Camille Villar, Sen. Imee Marcos, and Sen. Lito Lapid round out the top 12.

• As of 10:15 p.m., Akbayan tops the partylist race with 2,621,208  votes followed by Duterte Youth, Tingog, 4Ps, and ACT-CIS.
• Former president Rodrigo Duterte, who is currently detained in The Hague for his alleged crimes against humanity, leads with 626,88 votes for Davao City mayor as of 10:37 p.m. with Karlo Nograles lagging behind at 77,246.
• Former Vice President Leni Robredo is the top candidate in the Naga City mayoral race with 81,550 votes as of 10:37 p.m.
• Reelectionist Vico Sotto with 390,029 votes as of 10:47 also has a wide lead over Sarah Discaya for the Pasig City mayoral seat.
• Watchdog Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting suggested bringing back the 25% shading threshold after it received reports of mismatches between votes and ACM receipts. “It seems that lowering the threshold to 15% is too low,” she said, as per GMA News. “We think at 15%, it’s a little too sensitive. It reads the littlest mark, even the littlest smudge print, which are not supposed to be counted as ballots.”
• The PPCRV said that as of 8:15 p.m., its transparency server received approximately 34% of election results and that it was unable to download the data for processing. “We have been in constant communications with Comelec, but as of now, we have not received any explanation,” it said in a statement, adding that this was “highly unusual.”
• Among celebrities and personalities that shared that they cast their vote include Nadine Lustre and her partner Christophe Bariou, Kitty Duterte, Ronnie Liang, Gary Valenciano, Janella Salvador, and John Arcilla, who lamented the state of the tables students use in school.
• Comelec has also released a list of areas where 100% of the votes have been processed, as per GMA News. This includes Las Piñas; Manila; Pasig; Mariveles, Bataan; Mexico, Pampanga; Naic, Cavite; Polomolok, South Cotabato; Tanza, Cavite; Taytay, Rizal; Calamba, Laguna.

• The regular voting period for the 2025 elections has officially closed at 7:00 p.m. It started at 7:00 a.m.
• More than 51,000 voters took part in the Local Absentee Voting for this year’s polls, according to the Comelec. "The Comelec has approved about 57,000, while our actual voters is (more than) 51,000,” LAV committee head Allen Francis Abaya said. He added that the number of LAV participants this year was lower compared to those in the 2022 presidential elections, which logged a 70,000-80,000 turnout.
• Among the celebrity candidates who cast their votes in the afternoon include Anjo Yllana, who is running for vice mayor of Calamba, Laguna; Enzo Pineda, who is running for Quezon City 5th district councilor; and Ara Mina, who is running for Pasig City 2nd district councilor.
• Pia Cayetano, who’s seeking reelection in the Senate, cast her vote at Gat Andres Bonifacio Elementary School in Taguig.
• Mayoralty bets Jeannie Sandoval and Vico Sotto voted in the polls. The former is running for reelection in Malabon, and the latter in Pasig.
• Actor Donny Pangilinan exercised his right to vote in the polls. “I’m very happy na nandito ako kasama ang pamilya ko. Dasal nalang para sa Pilipinas,” he told reporters after casting his ballot.
• Philippine National Police chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil said that the midterms were “very peaceful” despite the reported riots and irregularities in different precincts. “I can say this is very peaceful compared before,” he said in an interview shared by the Philippine Information Agency. “Even ‘yung sa pre-election po namin, ‘yung numbers po ng insidente, mas bumaba po ngayon." Read our article on the issues and anomalies in the 2025 elections here.

• According to Comelec chairman George Garcia, there is no failure of elections in any part of the country in the May 12 polls. “Lahat naman po ay nag-function,” he noted in a press conference. “Anong ibig sabihin ng ‘failure of elections’? Number one, hindi dumating ang gamit. Number two, hindi dumating ang mga teachers so walang nag-serve as electoral board members, and it resulted [in] a failure to elect. Very important na po ‘yan."
• Garcia also said that majority of votes might be in by 8:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

• The poll workers who shaded ballots for the elderly have been dismissed and are set to face raps, according to Comelec chair George Garcia. “Ang puwede lang mag-assist kung walang kasama 'yung mismong nakatatanda, ‘yung mismong may kapansanan, o kaya naman ‘yung mismong illiterate, ay ang electoral board members lamang,” he told reporters. In the viral video, two poll watchers were seen completing ballots on behalf of two seniors at a polling precinct in Abra.
• Around 200 automated counting machines had to be replaced in different polling precincts in the country so far, Garcia said. "Hindi naman huminto pero napapansin namin nakaka-dalawang beses nag-reject. Kaagad nagdesisyon ang aming operations center na i-pull out ang machines at palitan ito ng bago para hindi maging worse pa."
• Luigi Villafuerte was accompanied by his partner Yassi Pressman when he cast his ballot in the 2025 elections. He’s running for Camarines Sur congressman in the polls. “Proud to be a responsible citizen,” Yassi wrote in a social media post.
• Former vice president and Naga City mayoral candidate Leni Robredo cast her vote at Naga City Science High School.

• Running for Batangas seats, the Recto family headed to the polls together to vote in the elections. Vilma Santos-Recto is hoping to head Batangas as governor, and her son Luis Manzano as vice governor. Vilma’s other son Ryan Recto, meanwhile, is a congressional candidate in the 6th District of Batangas.
• Aside from Luis Manzano, other celebrity candidates have cast their votes in the elections, including actor Alfred Vargas and actress Aiko Melendez, who are running for Quezon City 5th district councilor; and actor Ejay Falcon, who is running for Oriental Mindoro 2nd district representative.
• Actor and singer Matteo Guidicelli voted at a polling precinct in Alabang, Muntinlupa. In an interview with reporter Dyan Castillejo, the actor encouraged the public to vote wisely “for the future, for all of us.”
• Canadian-born and now Filipino citizen Kyle Jennermann voted in the Philippines for the first time. The vlogger known as “BecomingFilipino” said he was impressed by his polling precinct in Taguig as he had a smooth voting experience. “Only took about 45 minutes to vote, even with many people around."

Despite extensive preparations, Philippine elections consistently face a range of issues, with this year's midterm polls saw some precincts experiencing delays despite long preparations.

According to Philippine National Police spokesperson Jean Fajardo, technical glitches and power interruptions caused delays in voting in different areas such as Central Luzon, Northern Mindanao, Cordillera Administrative Region, Davao Region, and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Several voters also reported cases of automated counting machines rejecting their ballots. Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco noted that ACMs reject ballots if the timing marks were tampered with. He said that voters are given three chances to feed their ballots to the ACM upon rejection and that the electoral board won't replace defective ballots if the voters caused such defects themselves.

It's not just defective ballots or ACMs that pose problems, but also the day's sweltering heat. In its May 11 forecast, state weather bureau PAGASA said 28 areas are set to have heat indexes hitting the "danger" level on May 12—with Sangley Point, Cavite, and Catarman, Samar forecast to have the highest heat index level at 45C. A 65-year-old man died after feeling dizzy at a polling precinct in Albay.

Know more about the challenges encountered so far at the 2025 midterm elections here.

• Two poll workers figured in a brawl in Marawi City, leading to a five-minute pause in the casting of votes inside the precinct. According to GMA News, the fistfight reportedly began after a poll watcher who was not part of their barangay entered the polling place. Task Force Marawi and Philippine National Police had to intervene in their fight.
• Also in Marawi, a riot erupted in Barangay Sagonsongan between two groups, affecting voters inside the polling place. ABS-CBN News reported that police and the military had to stop the fight.
• A poll worker damaged an automated counting machine in Marawi by dousing water on it. Per GMA News, the equipment—which was for four combined polling precincts for Marawi siege evacuees—was replaced after a few minutes.
• Senatorial aspirant Kiko Pangilinan showed up at a polling precinct in Silang, Cavite to cast his ballot. He was accompanied by his wife, Megastar Sharon Cuneta.

• First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos cast her vote along with her children Simon, Vincent, and Sandro in Laoag City. Sandro is running for Ilocos Norte 1st district representative in the polls.
• Senatorial candidate Camille Villar voted in the elections at a polling precinct in Las Piñas City.
• Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, who is running for reelection, was seen voting at a polling precinct in Brgy. Kristong Hari, Quezon City.
• Other candidates who have voted include senatoriables Tito Sotto, Bato dela Rosa, and Leody de Guzman; Marikina mayoral candidate Stella Quimbo; Marikina congressional bet Koko Pimentel; Pasig City 1st District councilor hopeful Shamcey Supsup; Caloocan City mayoral candidate Sonny Trillanes; and Manila City mayoral candidate Isko Moreno.

• Senior citizens, pregnant women, and persons with disabilities began to vote as early as 5 a.m. Comelec chairman George Garcia, who's overseeing the voting operations in Silang in Cavite, expressed delight about the success of the early voting hours. "Natutuwa tayo dahil maraming nakinabang," he told ABS-CBN News, citing as an example a senior citizen who went to vote early as he was about to attend to his crops and dogs. "Ito po 'yung gusto nating mangyari, 'yung 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., para maging maginhawa at mas mabilis. Hindi humahalo sa karamihan," he said.

• Early voting saw senatorial candidates Gregorio Honasan, Lito Lapid, and Ben "Bitag" Tulfo among those who cast their ballots. Honasan voted at the Nativity of Our Lady Parochial School in Marikina City, while Lapid cast his vote at the clustered precinct in Brgy. Poblacion, Porac, Pampanga. Tulfo, on the other hand, exercised his right at Pasong Tamo Elementary School in Quezon City. Panfilo Lacson also voted early in Imus, Cavite.

• In a first for residents of 10 barangays recently transferred from Makati to Taguig, they will now have the opportunity to vote for a district representative in the upcoming elections. Tenement Elementary School is among the designated polling centers for these voters, ANC reported.
• President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his mother former First Lady Imelda Marcos, and sister Irene Marcos-Araneta voted in Mariano Marcos Memorial Elementary School in Batac, Ilocos Norte. Read the article here.

• The Philippine National Police reported at 7:09 a.m. that 91.92% (34,494) of polling centers were conducting voting. PNP spokesperson B/Gen. Jean Fajardo stated that technical glitches and power interruptions caused delays in the opening of the remaining centers.
• Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero and his wife, Heart Evangelista, cast their votes at Buhatan Integrated School in Barangay Buhatan, Sorsogon City, Sorsogon, at around 7 a.m.
• Senator Cynthia Villar, who is running for Las Piñas' lone congressional seat, and her husband, former senate president Manny Villar, cast their ballots early today at Las Piñas City Science High School in Barangay Talon Dos.

• Vice President Sara Duterte fulfilled her civic duty by casting her ballot for the 2025 midterm elections on May 12. She arrived at Daniel R. Aguinaldo High School in Davao City at around 8:34 a.m. In an interview with the media after voting, Sara expressed high hopes for the candidates of DuterTen. She also said that her father, Rodrigo Duterte, asked if she could focus on his case after the polls. "Kung pwede ko ba daw tutukan 'yung kaso niya," she said. "Sinabi ko naman sa kanya, gagawin ko 'yun. Meron lang kamin mga projects na kailangan gawin sa Office of the Vice President," she told the press. Read the article here.

• Other candidates who voted: Senatorial candidates Bam Aquino, Liza Maza, Bong Revilla, Manny Pacquiao, and Rodante Marcoleta.