Daven Tamayo

Senior statesmen: How old are our Philippine senators?

Article (news)

David Dizon

ABS-CBN News

<div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HGyDkKCWhoY?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe> </div>How old are our Philippine senators?The issue of senators’ ages cropped up during Wednesday’s Senate session 16 after Sen. Loren Legarda disclosed she is already a senior citizen.This, after Sen. Robin Padilla made an appeal for the establishment of nursing homes in every city and province to care for the country&#x27;s growing elderly population.“Siyempre po kaming mga senior citizen kailangang mag participate sa debate. Inaamin ko po. Pero mas senior ng husto ang [Senate] minority leader. [Tito Sotto] Malaki po, mga 20 years po. Ang minority leader at si Sen. Panfilo Lacson  ay senior citizens pero higit po ng ilang dekada ng pagka-senior sa akin,” Legarda, who authored the Expanded Senior Citizens Law, said.Eleven senators in the 20th Congress are senior citizens. They are:<ol><li>Senate Miinority Leader Vicente Sotto III - 77 years old</li><li>Sen. Panfilo Lacson - 77 years old</li><li>Sen. Rodante Marcoleta - 72 years old</li><li>Sen. Manuel “Lito” Lapid- 69 years old</li><li>Sen. Imee Marcos - 69 years old</li><li>Sen. Raffy Tulfo - 65 years old</li><li>Sen. Loren Legarda - 65 years old</li><li>Sen. Ronald dela Rosa - 63 years old</li><li>Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada - 62 years old</li><li>Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan - 62 years old</li><li>Sen. Erwin Tulfo - 61 years old</li></ol>Under the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010, a senior citizen is a Filipino citizen aged 60 years or older. Senior citizens are entitled to government-mandated benefits, including discounts on goods and services.Two senators are set to turn 60 in 2026 - Sens. Pia Cayetano and Risa Hontiveros.Under the law, a person can run for senator if he or she is a natural-born citizen of the Philippines, is at least 35 years old on the day of the elections, able to read and write, a registered voter, and a resident of the Philippines for not less than two years immediately preceding the day of the election.The ages of the other senators are as follows:<ol id="isPasted"><li>Sen. Pia Cayetano - 59 </li><li>Sen. Risa Hontiveros - 59 </li><li>Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri - 56</li><li>Senate President Francis Escudero - 55</li><li>Sen. Robinhood Padilla - 55</li><li>Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito - 55</li><li>Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano - 54</li><li>Sen. Win Gatchalian - 51</li><li>Sen. Bong Go - 51</li><li>Sen. Joel Villanueva - 50</li><li>Sen. Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV - 48</li><li>Sen. Mark Villar - 47</li><li>Sen. Camille Villar - 40</li></ol>

How old are our Philippine senators? The issue of senators’ ages cropped up during Wednesday’s Senate session 16 after Sen. Loren Legarda revealed she is already a senior citizen.

How old are our Philippine senators? The issue of senators’ ages cropped up during Wednesday’s Senate session 16 after Sen. Loren Legarda revealed she is already a senior citizen.