President pro tempore of the Senate of the Philippines facts for kids

Quick facts for kids President pro tempore of the Senate of the Philippines
Incumbent Jinggoy Estrada since May 20, 2024
Style	Mister President (when presiding) The Honorable (formal)
Appointer	Elected by the Senate
Inaugural holder	Esperidion Guanco
Formation	October 16, 1916
Website	Senate of the Philippines

The President pro tempore of the Senate of the Philippines is a very important leader in the Senate of the Philippines. Think of the Senate as a big team that makes laws for the country. The Senate has a main leader called the President of the Senate.

The President pro tempore is like the assistant captain of this team. They are the second highest-ranking official. Their main job is to lead the Senate meetings when the main President of the Senate is not there. The words pro tempore mean "for the time being" or "for a while." So, this person steps in when needed.

In the current group of senators, known as the 19th Congress, the person holding this important role is Jinggoy Estrada.

What Does the President Pro Tempore Do?

The President pro tempore has several key duties. They help make sure the Senate runs smoothly.

Leading Senate Meetings

When the main President of the Senate is absent, the President pro tempore takes over. They lead the discussions and make sure everyone follows the rules. This helps the Senate continue its work without interruption.

Helping with Senate Leadership

This role is part of the Senate's leadership team. The President pro tempore works with other leaders to plan what the Senate will do. They help decide which laws to discuss and how to manage the Senate's daily activities.

Who is the Current President Pro Tempore?

As of May 20, 2024, Jinggoy Estrada is the current President pro tempore. He is a senator who was chosen by his fellow senators for this position.

A Look at the History of the Role

The position of President pro tempore has been around for a long time. It started on October 16, 1916. Many different senators have held this important job throughout the years.

The very first person to be the President pro tempore was Espiridion Guanco. He took office in 1919. Over the years, many other well-known leaders have served in this role. This shows how important the position is in the Philippine government.

The Senate was paused twice in history. First, from 1935 to 1941, and again from 1973 to 1987. During these times, there was no President pro tempore. The role returned when the Senate was re-established.

Here are some of the people who have held this important position:

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Party		Legislature
			Took office	Left office
1		Espiridion Guanco Senator for the 8th Senatorial District (1874–1925)	July 21 1919	October 27 1922		Nacionalista	5th Legislature
2		Sergio Osmeña Senator for the 10th Senatorial District (1878–1961)	October 27 1922	July 16 1934		Nacionalista Unipersonalista	6th Legislature
						Nacionalista	7th Legislature
							8th Legislature
							9th Legislature
3		José Clarín Senator for the 11th Senatorial District (1879–1935)	July 16 1934	June 2 1935		Nacionalista Democratico	10th Legislature
4		José Avelino Senator for the 9th Senatorial District (1890–1986)	June 2 1935	November 15 1935		Nacionalista Democratico
Senate abolished (1935–1941)
5		Elpidio Quirino (1890–1956)	July 9 1945	May 25 1946		Liberal	1st Commonwealth Congress
6		Melecio Arranz (1888–1966)	May 25 1946	December 30 1949		Liberal	2nd Commonwealth Congress
							1st Congress
7		Quintín Paredes (1884–1973)	January 31 1950	March 2 1952		Liberal	2nd Congress
8		Esteban Abada (1896–1957)	March 2 1952	May 7 1952		Liberal
9		Manuel Briones (1896–1954)	May 7 1952	April 17 1953		Nacionalista
10		José Zulueta (1889–1972)	April 17 1953	April 30 1953		Liberal
(9)		Manuel Briones (1896–1954)	April 30 1953	December 10 1957		Nacionalista
							3rd Congress
11		Fernando Lopez (1904–1993)	January 27 1958	December 17 1965		Nacionalista	4th Congress
							5th Congress
12		Lorenzo Sumulong (1905–1997)	January 17 1966	January 26 1967		Nacionalista	6th Congress
13		Jose Roy (1904–1986)	January 26 1967	September 23 1972		Nacionalista
							7th Congress
Senate abolished (1973–1987)
14		Teofisto Guingona Jr. (born 1928)	July 27 1987	July 23 1990		Liberal	8th Congress
15		Sotero Laurel (1918–2009)	July 23 1990	January 18 1992		Nacionalista
16		Ernesto Maceda (1935–2016)	January 18 1992	January 18 1993		PDP–Laban
							9th Congress
(14)		Teofisto Guingona Jr. (born 1928)	January 18 1993	July 6 1993		Lakas
17		Leticia Ramos-Shahani (1929–2017)	July 6 1993	October 10 1996		Lakas
							10th Congress
18		Blas Ople (1927–2003)	October 10 1996	June 29 1999		LDP (until 1997)
						LAMMP (from 1997)
							11th Congress
19		John Henry Osmeña (1935–2021)	June 29 1999	July 12 2000		LAMMP
(18)		Blas Ople (1927–2003)	July 12 2000	June 30 2001		LAMMP
20		Manny Villar (born 1949)	July 23 2001	August 12 2002		Independent	12th Congress
21		Juan Flavier (1935–2014)	August 12 2002	June 30 2007		Lakas
							13th Congress
22		Jinggoy Estrada (born 1963)	July 23 2007	June 30 2013		PMP	14th Congress
							15th Congress
23		Ralph Recto (born 1964)	July 22 2013	June 30 2016		Liberal	16th Congress
24		Franklin Drilon (born 1945)	July 25 2016	February 27 2017		Liberal	17th Congress
(23)		Ralph Recto (born 1964)	February 27 2017	June 29 2022		Liberal (until 2018)
						Nacionalista (from 2018)
							18th Congress
25		Migz Zubiri (born 1969)	June 29 2022	July 25 2022		Independent
26		Loren Legarda (born 1960)	July 25 2022	May 20 2024		NPC	19th Congress
(22)		Jinggoy Estrada (born 1963)	May 20 2024	Incumbent		PMP