Philippines Senate race a blow to President Marcos as he feuds with Vice President Duterte

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Key allies of detained former President Rodrigo Duterte and two liberal opposition candidates were among top winners in the May 12 Senate race in the Philippines, according to official results released Friday by the Election Commission.

The midterm election outcome provided unexpectedly strong backing for Duterte and boosted his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, ahead of her impeachment trial in the Senate in July.

The election also was a blow to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration, whose candidates did not do as well as expected in midterm polls when the president’s influence is usually strong, analysts said.

Five of the 12 Senate race winners were endorsed by Sara Duterte, including the president's sister, Imee Marcos, and Camille Villar, another Marcos alliance candidate from a wealthy political family. Five others were aligned with Marcos, while two surprise winners were from the opposition. Two Duterte allies were among the top five.

Christopher Go, a former Cabinet member under the elder Duterte, led the Senate winners with more than 27 million votes. Ronald dela Rosa, Duterte’s first national police chief and executor of his deadly anti-drugs campaign, ranked third.

Erwin Tulfo, a news anchor and candidate from the Marcos slate who was topping pre-election surveys, only managed fourth place. Two opposition members, Bam Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan, took second and fifth place, respectively.

The election results reflected “a vote against the administration," political analyst Ronald Llamas said, adding that it wasn't a vote for the Dutertes because many anti-Duterte candidates also won, including in the lower house of Congress.

“It’s a plebiscite on the president, it’s a referendum on the government and it looks like they lost there,” Llamas said.

Marcos teamed with Sara Duterte to win the 2022 general elections, but their partnership soured over political differences that led to her impeachment in February and her father's subsequent arrest and handover to the ICC.

Marcos can't seek re-election as the president is limited to a single six-year term. Sara Duterte is seen as a strong presidential candidate for 2028 elections but will be barred from office for life if convicted by the Senate.

She was impeached on a raft of charges including alleged misuse of public funds and plotting to assassinate Marcos. She had said the impeachment was a political assassination. To be acquitted, she needs the votes of at least nine of 24 senators.

At least two other senators who were not part of the elections were seen as supporters of the vice president. Other senators may support her acquittal depending on public opinion during the trial, political pressure from the administration and perceived political benefits, Llamas said.

“Definitely Sara gained in the election in her fight against impeachment,” Llamas said. “The impeachment will be uphill but not impossible.”

Rodrigo Duterte was elected as mayor of Davao City, his stronghold, with a landslide despite being detained thousands of miles away in the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, since March. He is awaiting trial for crimes against humanity related to his war on illegal drugs that left thousands of suspects dead during his presidency from 2016 to 2022.

Under Philippine law, candidates facing criminal charges, including those in detention, can run for office unless they have been convicted and have exhausted all appeals.

Kristina Conti, an assistant to counsel at the ICC, has said the court also is investigating Dela Rosa and Go for their role in the drug war.

FILE - Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is seen on a screen in the courtroom of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool, file)

FILE - President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., center right, and Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte, daughter of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, greet during the inauguration ceremony at National Museum on June 30, 2022 in Manila, Philippines. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, file)

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte shows the indelible ink on her finger after casting her vote at a polling center in Davao City, southern Philippines, Monday, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Manman Dejeto)

FILE -Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. speaks during the 89th anniversary of the Armed Forces of the Philippines at the military headquarters Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Philippines on Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s motorcade took a different route than usual to the airport as he was departing Florida on Sunday due to a “suspicious object,” according to the White House.

The object, which the White House did not describe, was discovered during security sweeps in advance of Trump’s arrival at Palm Beach International Airport.

“A further investigation was warranted and the presidential motorcade route was adjusted accordingly,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Sunday.

The president, when asked about the package by reporters, said, “I know nothing about it.”

Trump left his Palm Beach, Florida, club, Mar-a-Lago, around 6:20 p.m. for the roughly 10-minute drive to the airport, but took a circular route around the city to get there.

During the drive, police officers on motorcycles created a moving blockade for the motorcade, at one point almost colliding with the vans that accompanied Trump.

Air Force One was parked on the opposite side of the airport from where it is usually located and the lights outside the plane were turned off.

Anthony Guglielmi, the spokesman for U.S. Secret Service, said the secondary route was taken just as a precaution and that “that is standard protocol.”

President Donald Trump departs Trump International Golf Club in the presidential limousine, known as The Beast, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)