1962–63 President of the Senate of the Philippines election

An election for the president of the Senate of the Philippines was held on January 24, 1962, two days after the opening session of the 5th Congress. It was the 23rd election for the Senate presidency in the chamber's history. Senate President pro tempore Fernando Lopez and Senate Minority Leader Ferdinand Marcos were the nominees of the Nacionalista Party and Liberal Party, respectively. Across the first four ballots, the vote was tied at 12–12, resulting in a deadlock that lasted for at least a month.

1962–63 President of the Senate of the Philippines election

January 24, 1962 (1962-01-24) – April 5, 1963 (1963-04-05)
All 24 members of the Senate 13 votes needed to win
Nominee Ferdinand Marcos Eulogio Rodriguez Fernando Lopez Party Liberal Nacionalista Nacionalista First ballot 12 (50.00%) Did not contest 12 (50.00%) Final ballot 13 (54.17%) 11 (45.83%) Did not contest
Senate President before election Eulogio Rodriguez Nacionalista Elected Senate President Ferdinand Marcos Liberal

Incumbent Senate President Eulogio Rodriguez served in a holdover capacity from the 4th Congress until he was unseated by Marcos in a deciding ballot on April 5, 1963. This was also the election during which Senator Roseller T. Lim delivered the longest filibuster in Philippine Senate history, lasting a record 18 hours and 30 minutes.

Background

The vote, originally scheduled for January 22, 1962, during the opening session of the 5th Congress, was postponed until two days later after a motion by Senator Estanislao Fernandez was approved. The postponement was intended to allow both parties to deliberate on their respective nominees and to retain the incumbent officers in a holdover capacity pursuant to the rules of the Senate.

Electoral system

This section is an excerpt from President of the Senate of the Philippines § Election.[edit]

The Senate president is elected by the majority of the members of the Senate from among themselves. Since there are 24 senators, 13 votes are needed to win the Senate presidency, including any vacant seats or senators not attending the session. Although Senate presidents are elected at the start of each Congress, there had been numerous instances of Senate leadership elections in which a sitting Senate president has been unseated in the middle of a session. Term-sharing agreements among senators who are both eyeing the position of the Senate president also played a role in changing the leadership of the Senate, but in a smooth manner, through the peaceful transition of power. Three known instances were in 1999, 2006, and 2018.

Newly elected Senate presidents are traditionally sworn in by the youngest senator, known as the "Benjamin" of the chamber, usually one belonging to the majority bloc, as in the cases of Bam Aquino administering the oath of office to Franklin Drilon in 2013, Manny Pacquiao to Koko Pimentel in 2016, Mark Villar to Francis Escudero in 2024, and Camille Villar to Alan Peter Cayetano in 2026.

Unlike most Senate presidents that are the symbolic presiding officers of the upper house, the Senate president of the Philippines wields considerate power by influencing the legislative agenda and has the ability to vote not just in order to break ties, although the Senate president is traditionally the last senator to vote. A tied vote, therefore, means that the motion is lost, and that the Senate president cannot cast a tie-breaking vote since that would mean that the presiding officer would have had voted twice.

Election

January–February 1962: First ballots

Nacionalista Party nominee Fernando Lopez (left) and Liberal Party nominee Ferdinand Marcos (right)

On January 24, Senator Arturo Tolentino nominated Fernando Lopez as the Nacionalista Party (NP) candidate for the Senate presidency to succeed Eulogio Rodriguez, which was seconded by Gil Puyat. On the part of the Liberals, Minority Leader Ferdinand Marcos was nominated by Raul Manglapus, with the nomination seconded by Maria Kalaw Katigbak and Camilo Osías. During the roll call for nominal voting, Lopez and Marcos voted for one another as a courtesy traditionally extended during elections for Senate president. All other Liberal senators voted for Marcos, while all other Nacionalistas, together with Lorenzo Tañada, a member of the Nationalist Citizens' Party who caucused with the NP, voted for Lopez. The result was a 12–12 deadlock, which persisted through the next three ballots held on January 26, January 29, and February 26.

As stated in Cunanan v. Tan (1962), Eulogio Rodriguez served in a holdover capacity as Senate president while no candidate had obtained the required majority of 13 votes in any of the ballots.

1962 election for president of the Senate (first four ballots)

Party		Nominees	1st ballot January 24		2nd ballot January 26		3rd ballot January 29		4th ballot February 26
			Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%
	Nacionalista	Fernando Lopez	12	50.00	12	50.00	12	50.00	12	50.00
	Liberal	Ferdinand Marcos	12	50.00	12	50.00	12	50.00	12	50.00
Total votes			24	100.00	24	100.00	24	100.00	24	100.00

List of senators who participated in the election

No.	Senator	Party		Ballot vote cast
				1st ballot January 24	2nd ballot January 26	3rd ballot January 29	4th ballot February 26
1	Alejandro Almendras		Nacionalista	Lopez
2	Gaudencio Antonino		Liberal	Marcos
3	Eulogio Balao		Liberal	Marcos
4	Mariano Jesús Cuenco		Liberal	Marcos
5	Rogelio dela Rosa		Liberal	Marcos
6	Estanislao Fernandez		Liberal	Marcos
7	Maria Kalaw Katigbak		Liberal	Marcos
8	Oscar Ledesma		Nacionalista	Lopez
9	Roseller T. Lim		Nacionalista	Lopez
10	Fernando Lopez		Nacionalista	Marcos
11	Genaro Magsaysay		Nacionalista	Lopez
12	Manuel Manahan		Liberal	Marcos
13	Raul Manglapus		Liberal	Marcos
14	Ferdinand Marcos		Liberal	Lopez
15	Camilo Osías		Liberal	Marcos
16	Ambrosio Padilla		Liberal	Marcos
17	Cipriano Primicias Sr.		Nacionalista	Lopez
18	Gil Puyat		Nacionalista	Lopez
19	Soc Rodrigo		Liberal	Marcos
20	Eulogio Rodriguez		Nacionalista	Lopez
21	Jose Roy		Nacionalista	Lopez
22	Lorenzo Sumulong		Nacionalista	Lopez
23	Lorenzo Tañada		NCP	Lopez
24	Arturo Tolentino		Nacionalista	Lopez

April 5, 1963: Roseller T. Lim's "Great Filibuster" and final ballot

Senator Roseller T. Lim

Only 23 senators were present during the early stages of the Senate session on April 5, 1963, as Senator Alejandro Almendras was in the United States for a purported throat operation. Members of the Nacionalista Party sought to delay the vote for the Senate presidency until Almendras's arrival, as they needed his vote to block the ouster of incumbent Senate president Eulogio Rodriguez. On the eve of the vote, Senate Minority Leader Ferdinand Marcos reportedly visited Roseller T. Lim, a Nacionalista senator, and offered to pay the latter's loan, knowing that the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) was foreclosing on the mortgage of Lim's residence. Lim refused and, during a party caucus, offered to filibuster until Almendras's return.

Lim spoke on the Senate floor for 18 hours and 30 minutes, sustaining himself only with water and even relieving himself while standing without taking restroom breaks. When Almendras entered the session hall, Lim ended his filibuster and the motion to put the question to a vote was taken up. Lim collapsed and was laid on a stretcher before being immediately transported by ambulance to a hospital. Hours later, upon waking, Lim was surprised to learn that Almendras had crossed the floor and voted for Marcos, much to his disappointment.

Marcos was elected Senate president, defeating Rodriguez by a vote of 13 to 11.

Results

1963 election for president of the Senate

Party		Nominees	Votes	%
	Liberal	Ferdinand Marcos	13	54.17
	Nacionalista	Eulogio Rodriguez (incumbent)	11	45.83
Total votes			24	100.00

Aftermath

Marcos defected to the opposition Nacionalista Party in April 1964 after President Diosdado Macapagal reportedly refused to honor a prior agreement to field him as the Liberal Party's standard-bearer in the 1965 presidential election. Former Senate President Eulogio Rodriguez died in office several months later, on December 9, 1964.

Macapagal ran for re-election in November 1965 against Marcos and Raul Manglapus. Marcos won the election with 51% of the vote. Following Macapagal's defeat, Roseller T. Lim switched to the Liberal Party, where he remained until his death in 1976.