The 19th Congress Senator-Judges (Senators dela Rosa to Lapid) of the Impeachment Court for the Impeachment Trial of Vice President Sara Duterte | Photo by Sen. JV Ejercito via Wikimedia Commons
The following is a concise, issue-based summary of the main controversies involving the Philippines’ 24 senators, but with an important caveat: the Senate is not uniformly implicated in every issue, and several of the topics you listed are tied to specific blocs, hearings, or named senators rather than all 24 members. The strongest cross-cutting themes are the Duterte-era drug war and extrajudicial killings, Pharmally, Sara Duterte’s impeachment fight, flood-control corruption, political realignments, and contractor-linked campaign contributions.
Drug War and EJKs
The most prominent Senate-linked controversy is the Duterte war on drugs, especially around accountability for alleged extrajudicial killings and the role of senators seen as close to Duterte allies. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, former police chief and a key architect of the anti-drug campaign, has been the most visible figure in this debate, with renewed scrutiny in 2026 tied to ICC pressure and allegations connected to the drug war. Related human-rights concerns also include red-tagging, which rights groups say has been used to silence critics and has been associated with arrests, harassment, and killings.
Pharmally and Pandemic Funds
The Pharmally scandal remains one of the biggest corruption issues associated with the Senate’s Duterte-era oversight role. Senate probes found questionable pandemic procurement contracts and raised questions about the involvement of a known Duterte associate and the broader use of public funds during the COVID-19 response. The issue became politically charged because some senators framed it as a test of accountability, while Duterte loyalists saw the hearings as politically motivated.
Sara Duterte’s Impeachment
Sara Duterte’s impeachment has become the central political fault line in the Senate, because the upper chamber will decide whether she is convicted or acquitted. Reports in 2025–2026 show the Senate as deeply split, with Duterte-aligned senators strong enough to potentially block conviction, and with leadership shifts viewed as affecting how the trial might proceed. The charges involve alleged misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, and threats against top officials.
Flood Control Corruption
Flood-control corruption is the newest major scandal to reach senators, and it has already implicated sitting senators in reporting and hearings. In 2025, two senators, Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva, were named in a corruption inquiry over alleged kickbacks tied to flood-control projects, although both denied wrongdoing. The scandal also widened to include campaign finance and contractor networks, with Comelec later saying it found contractor donations involving multiple Senate bets.
Party Realignments and Blocs
A major controversy in the Senate is not one scandal but the recurring realignment between Marcos-aligned and Duterte-aligned blocs. After the 2025 midterms, the Duterte camp gained enough strength to influence Senate leadership and potentially shape the impeachment process, while some senators shifted loyalty or positioned themselves as swing votes. These realignments matter because they affect not just policy, but whether investigations, impeachment, or accountability measures advance or stall.
Contractors, donations, and influence
Another recurring controversy is alleged political campaign support from contractors and other donors with business before the government. Comelec and media reports in 2025 said several senatorial candidates received contractor-linked donations, raising concerns about pay-to-play politics and future influence over infrastructure spending. It is especially sensitive because it overlaps with the flood-control scandal and with broader questions about patronage in Philippine elections.
Other contentious issues appear more selectively tied to certain senators or policy areas than to the chamber as a whole. Red-tagging and EJK allegations are tied most strongly to Duterte-aligned figures and security policy. Malampaya, land-rights or land-grabbing disputes, solar-farm or renewable-energy controversies, Supreme Court appointments, and possible pardon politics are real political themes in the Philippines. Still, it is difficult to responsibly attribute them to all 24 senators without a senator-by-senator fact check.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr. Crispin Fernandez advocates for overseas Filipinos, public health, transformative political change, and patriotic economics. He is also a community organizer, leader, and freelance writer.
