Vice President of the Philippines facts for kids

For a list, see List of vice presidents of the Philippines.

Quick facts for kids Vice President of the Philippines
Vice presidential flag
Vice presidential seal
Incumbent Sara Duterte since June 30, 2022
Government of the Philippines Office of the Vice President
Style	Madam Vice President (informal) The Honorable (formal) Her Excellency (diplomatic)
Member of	Cabinet
Seat	11th Floor, Robinsons Cybergate Plaza, EDSA cor. Pioneer St., Mandaluyong 1550, Philippines
Appointer	Direct popular vote, or, if vacant, President via congressional confirmation
Term length	Six years, renewable once consecutively
Constituting instrument	1987 Constitution of the Philippines
Formation	November 15, 1935
First holder	Sergio Osmeña
Succession	First
Salary	₱353,476 monthly

The Vice President of the Philippines (also called Pangalawang Pangulo ng Pilipinas or Bise Presidente ng Pilipinas) is the second most important leader in the Philippine government. This person is next in line to become President if something happens to the current President. Filipinos directly vote for the Vice President, just like they do for the President.

The job of Vice President was brought back by the 1987 Constitution. It is similar to how the job was set up in the 1935 Constitution. A Vice President can serve for six years and can be re-elected only once in a row. The current Vice President is Sara Duterte. She started her term on June 30, 2022.

What the Vice President is Called

The official name for the Vice President in Filipino is Pangalawang Pangulo. However, many people also use Bise Presidente. This name comes from the Spanish language. You will hear it in other Philippine languages like Cebuano and Hiligaynon.

The 1987 Constitution used to write the title with a hyphen, like vice-president. But today, it is usually written without the hyphen, as vice president.

A Look at History

Early Beginnings

The first person to claim the title of Vice President was Mariano Trías. This was on March 22, 1897. He was chosen during the Tejeros Convention elections. Later, he became Vice President of a group called the Supreme Council. This council helped with talks for the Pact of Biak-na-Bato in 1897.

This Supreme Council did not rule a country. It was only for talking with the Spanish. Later, this group was replaced. When the Philippines declared independence in 1898, there was no Vice President. Trías instead worked as a minister in other government groups. He is not officially counted as a Philippine Vice President. This is because the Supreme Council did not declare a fully independent country.

Creating the Role: The Commonwealth Era

The 1935 Constitution was like the U.S. Constitution. It created the Commonwealth government. It also officially set up the job of Vice President. The Vice President could be given a job in the President's team. But unlike in the U.S., the Philippine Vice President does not lead the Senate. Senators choose their own leader.

Sergio Osmeña was the first person elected as Vice President under this Constitution. He was elected with Manuel L. Quezon in the first national elections.

The Third Republic

From 1935, the President and Vice President usually came from the same political group. This changed in the 1957 elections. That was the first time a President and Vice President from different groups won.

The Fourth Republic

The 1973 Constitution removed the job of Vice President. So, Fernando Lopez could not finish his term. Later, in 1984, the job of Vice President was brought back. Arturo Tolentino was declared the winner in 1986. He took his oath on February 16, 1986. But many people believed the elections were unfair. So, he never truly served as Vice President. A week later, the People Power Revolution happened. This led to the end of the Marcos government.

The Fifth Republic

The People Power Revolution put Corazon Aquino in power as President. On February 25, 1986, Aquino and her running mate, Salvador Laurel, became President and Vice President. Since the 1987 Constitution was put in place, only two elections have had a President and Vice President from the same team: Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Noli de Castro in 2004, and Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte in 2022.

What the Vice President Does

The 1987 Constitution says the Vice President takes over if the President dies, becomes unable to serve, or resigns. But it does not list many other specific jobs for the Vice President. Because of this, the job is sometimes called a "spare tire." However, the Constitution does say the Vice President can be given a job in the President's team (Cabinet) without needing special approval.

Being a Cabinet Member

Since 1935, many Vice Presidents have been given jobs in the President's Cabinet. Some have even turned down these offers. Sergio Osmeña was given a very important Cabinet job in 1935. He was Secretary of Public Instruction. This job was once only for Americans. Osmeña held this job from 1935 to 1939. He also had a similar job during World War II.

After the Philippines became independent in 1946, the most important Cabinet job became Secretary of Foreign Affairs. Vice President Elpidio Quirino held this job. Vice President Fernando Lopez chose to be Secretary of Agriculture instead. Later, Vice Presidents Carlos P. Garcia and Emmanuel Pelaez also held the Foreign Affairs job. This tradition continued with Salvador Laurel and Teofisto Guingona Jr. after the job was brought back in 1986.

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was Secretary of Social Welfare and Development. Current Vice President Sara Duterte is the Secretary of Education. Other Vice Presidents have led special groups. For example, Joseph Estrada was chairman of the Presidential Anti-Crime Commission. Noli de Castro, Jejomar Binay, and Leni Robredo led the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council.

Only Diosdado Macapagal was not given a Cabinet job. This was because he was the first Vice President elected who was not from the same political group as the President.

Taking Over for the President

Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo taking her oath as the 14th president of the Philippines after President Joseph Estrada left office.

The Vice President is the first person in line to become President. The Constitution says when the Vice President will take over or act as President:

If the President dies, becomes unable to serve, leaves office, or resigns, the Vice President becomes President.
If the President-elect cannot officially take office, the Vice President-elect acts as President until the President-elect can.
If a President is not chosen, the Vice President acts as President until one is chosen.

There have been four times a Vice President became President:

Sergio Osmeña in 1944, after President Manuel L. Quezon died.
Elpidio Quirino in 1948, after President Manuel Roxas died.
Carlos P. Garcia in 1957, after President Ramon Magsaysay died.
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2001, after President Joseph Estrada resigned. This happened after the Second EDSA Revolution.

Other Duties

The Vice President also starts different programs and services through the Office of the Vice President. They also attend official events and diplomatic meetings. They sometimes represent the President or the country. The Vice President used to be part of the National Security Council. But this changed in 2025.

How the Vice President is Elected

Who Can Be Vice President

To be Vice President, a person must meet the same requirements as the President:

Be a natural-born citizen of the Philippines.
Be a registered voter.
Be able to read and write.
Be at least 40 years old on election day.
Have lived in the Philippines for at least 10 years before the election.

Natural-born Filipinos are citizens from birth. They do not need to do anything special to become citizens. This includes people whose parents were Filipino citizens when they were born.

The Election Process

Home provinces of the vice presidents

The Vice President is elected in the same way as the President. People vote directly for them every six years. This usually happens on the second Monday of May. The most recent election was in 2022.

The candidate who gets the most votes wins, even if it is not more than half of all votes. Presidents and Vice Presidents often run together as a team. But it is possible for them to be from different political groups. Since 1986, only the 2004 and 2022 elections had winners from the same team.

After the election, the votes from each province or city are sent to Congress. The Senate President then opens all the vote reports. This happens in a public meeting of Congress. Congress then counts the votes.

Taking the Oath

Traditionally, the Vice President takes the oath of office a little before noon. This happens before the President takes their oath. This is to make sure there is a leader in place before the President officially starts. In 2016 and 2022, the President and Vice President took their oaths at different times. Vice President-elect Sara Duterte took her oath on June 19, 2022. This was days before her term officially began on June 30.

The Vice President-elect says an oath. It is similar to the President's oath:

"I, (name), do solemnly swear (or affirm), that I will faithfully and conscientiously fulfill my duties as President (or Vice President or Acting President) of the Philippines. Preserve and defend its Constitution, execute its laws, do justice to every man, and consecrate myself to the service of the Nation. So help me God." (If affirming, the last sentence is left out.) — Constitution of the Philippines, art. 7, sec. 5

The Filipino version of the oath is also used. Usually, the Vice President uses the same language for the oath as the President.

Serving as Vice President

Term Limits

Under the 1935 Constitution, the Vice President could be re-elected many times. Only the President had a limit. In 1940, the term was shortened from six to four years. Still, there was no limit on how many terms a Vice President could serve. Only Vice Presidents Osmeña and Lopez won re-election under these rules.

Fernando Lopez has served the most terms, with three terms in total. This was from 1949 to 1951, 1965 to 1969, and 1969 until 1972. The 1987 Constitution now limits the Vice President to serving no more than two terms in a row.

Impeachment

Impeachment is a way to remove a high-ranking official from office if they do something wrong. In the Philippines, the House of Representatives can start impeachment cases. This includes cases against the Vice President. If one-third of the House members agree, the case goes to the Senate of the Philippines. The Senate then acts as a court.

To remove the Vice President, at least two-thirds (16 out of 24) of the senators must vote to convict. If an impeachment attempt fails, no new cases can be filed against that official for one year.

Reasons for impeachment include breaking the Constitution, treason, bribery, corruption, other serious crimes, and betraying public trust.

When the Office is Empty

Vice President Teofisto Guingona was appointed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

If the Vice President's job becomes empty, the President can choose a new Vice President. This person must be a member of the Senate or House of Representatives. Both houses of Congress must then approve this choice by a majority vote.

This has only happened once. Senator Teofisto Guingona Jr. was appointed Vice President by President Arroyo on February 7, 2001. Guingona is the only Vice President who was not elected by the people. He was also the oldest person to hold the job, at 72 years old. He also served as Secretary of Foreign Affairs at the same time.

Where the Vice President Works and Lives

Historically, the Vice President did not have an official home. They used to work in the Executive Building (now Kalayaan Hall) at Malacañang Palace from 1935 to 1972.

When the job was brought back, Vice President Salvador Laurel worked in the old Legislative Building. This building is now the National Museum of Fine Arts. The Vice President's office moved several times. In 2011, the Coconut Palace in Pasay became the main workplace. From June 30, 2016, the office moved to the Quezon City Reception House in Quezon City. In July 2022, the office moved to Cybergate Plaza in Mandaluyong. Vice President Sara Duterte plans to build a permanent office for the position.

Travel and Security

The Vice President uses official cars like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. More recently, they have used bulletproof Toyota Land Cruisers or Lexus LX 570. A group of other vehicles, like Toyota Innovas and Fortuners, travel with the Vice President. These vehicles carry staff and security.

Vice President Sara Duterte also uses a Sikorsky S-76C++ helicopter. Her office says it helps her travel quickly and safely around the country.

The Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG) protects the Vice President and their family. This group used to be called the Vice Presidential Security Detachment (VPSD). It was reorganized in 2022.

List of Vice Presidents

After Being Vice President

Many Vice Presidents either lose re-election or become President. After being re-elected in 1941, Osmeña became President when President Quezon died. Vice Presidents Quirino and Garcia also became President after the President died. Vice President Lopez did not run for re-election in 1953. He chose to run for senator instead. After being elected in 1998, Arroyo became President when President Estrada left office. She later won re-election as President in 2004.

Five Vice Presidents ran for President after their term ended. Two of them, Macapagal in 1961 and Estrada in 1998, won. Three of them, Laurel in 1992, Binay in 2016, and Robredo in 2022, lost.

Four Vice Presidents ran for other jobs after their term ended, and two won. In 1953, Lopez ran for senator and won. He later won the Vice Presidency again in 1965 and 1969. Pelaez, who was Macapagal's running mate, did not seek re-election as Vice President. He ran for a seat in the House of Representatives in 1965 and won. In 2022, two Vice Presidents ran for senator. Binay lost, and de Castro withdrew his candidacy. Only Teofisto Guingona Jr. did not seek another office after his term as Vice President ended.