The country’s 2025 midterm elections smashed records for speed and scale, with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) proclaiming all 12 winning senators on Saturday, just five days after polls closed — the fastest canvassing in the country’s electoral history.

Voter turnout also reached a historic high, with 57,350,968 out of 69,673,653 registered voters casting ballots — an 82.31% turnout rate, the highest ever for a Philippine midterm election.

“Yes, it is the highest in a midterm election,” COMELEC chairperson George Garcia confirmed at a May 15 press conference.

The polls were the first automated elections conducted using technology from South Korea’s Miru Systems, which replaced long-time provider Smartmatic following its disqualification in 2023.

This year’s election also produced several milestones across the country.

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go secured 27,121,073 votes — the highest ever for any senatorial candidate in Philippine history, overtaking Robin Padilla’s 2022 record of 26,612,434 votes.

In Rizal, Cagayan, 21-year-old Jamila Ruma was elected mayor, becoming one of the youngest officials to win public office. She defeated retired generals Ralph Mamauag and Florence Littaua in a decisive victory.

Former vice president Leni Robredo was proclaimed the first woman mayor of Naga City, after receiving 84,377 votes against three rivals.

In Maguindanao del Norte, Datu Tucao Mastura became the province’s first elected governor with 199,049 votes.

Meanwhile, Lakas–CMD remained the dominant force in the House of Representatives, securing 104 seats in the 20th Congress.

In the Senate, four pairs of siblings will serve in the 20th Congress — the most family tandems since the ratification of the 1987 Constitution. Erwin Tulfo joins his brother Raffy, while Camille Villar enters the chamber alongside her brother Mark. Pia Cayetano returns with her brother Alan, and half-brothers JV Ejercito and Jinggoy Estrada remain as holdovers from the previous Congress.

Generally, this year’s election results point to a broader consolidation of political power, with key local and national positions still largely held by allies of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte.