1946 Philippine Senate election

← 1941 April 23, 1946 1947 →
16 (of the 24) seats in the Senate 13 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party Third party   Leader José Avelino Carlos P. Garcia Vicente Sotto Party Liberal Nacionalista Popular Front Seats before 3 (1 up) 20 (9 up) 0 Seats won 9 6 1 Seats after 10 13 1 Seat change 6 3 1 Popular vote 8,626,965 7,454,074 1,199,138 Percentage 47.26 40.81 6.56
Senate President before election Manuel Roxas Liberal Elected Senate President José Avelino Liberal

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Elections for the members of the Senate were held on April 23, 1946, in the Philippines (pursuant to Commonwealth Act No. 725).

Philippine Senate elections are held via plurality block voting with staggered elections, with the country as an at-large district. There are 24 seats in the Senate, with eight seats up every election for every two years starting from the first election in 1941; of the results in that election, the first eight would have served for six years, the next eight for four years, and the last eight for two years. Due to the intervention of World War II and the destruction of records, this election was the next election since 1941, and that lots were drawn on the 16 seats that would have been up in this election.

On this election, each voter has sixteen votes, of which one can vote up to sixteen names. Sixteen candidates shall then be elected, of which the first eight candidates with the most votes serving until 1951, then the next eight serving until 1949.

Soon after the reconstitution of the Commonwealth Government in 1945 Senators Manuel Roxas, Elpidio Quirino and their allies called for an early national election to choose the president and vice president of the Philippines and members of the Congress. In December 1945, the United States House Committee on Insular Affairs of the United States Congress approved the joint resolution setting the election date at not later than April 30, 1946.

Prompted by this congressional action, President Sergio Osmeña called the Philippine Congress to a three-day special session. Congress enacted Commonwealth Act No. 725, setting the election on April 23, 1946, and was approved by President Osmeña on January 5, 1946.

1. Antonio de las Alas
2. Nicolas Buendia
3. Ramon J. Fernandez
4. Domingo Imperial
5. José Yulo

1. Quintin Paredes
   • Ran for representative from Abra and won
2. Elpidio Quirino
   • Ran for vice president of the Philippines and won
3. Manuel Roxas
   • Ran for president of the Philippines and won

1. Daniel Maramba (Nacionalista), died on December 28, 1941
2. Jose Ozamiz (Nacionalista), executed on February 11, 1944

1. Eulogio Rodriguez (Nacionalista) ran for vice president of the Philippines and lost

The election was generally peaceful and orderly except in some places where passions ran high, especially in the province of Pampanga. According to the controversial decision of the Electoral Tribunal of the House of Representatives on Meliton Soliman vs. Luis Taruc, Pampanga "was under the terroristic clutches and control of the Hukbalahaps. So terrorized were the people of Arayat, at one time, 200 persons abandoned their homes, their work, and their food, all their belongings in a mass evacuation to the poblacion due to fear and terror."

The dominant Nacionalista Party was divided into two wings in this election. The Liberal wing was led by Senate President Manuel Roxas, while the original Nacionalista Party was headed by President Sergio Osmeña. Roxas defeated Osmeña in the concurrent presidential election, while Roxas's running mate Senator Elpidio Quirino defeated Osmeña's running mate Senator Eulogio Rodriguez.

In the Senate elections, the Liberal wing won nine seats, the original Nacionalista Party won six seats, and the Popular Front won one.

These senators from Liberal wing defended their seats: Melecio Arranz, Mariano Jesus Cuenco, and Ramon Torres. Carlos P. Garcia was the sole senator from the original Nacionalista Party to defend his seat.

Newcomer senators include the Liberal wing's topnotcher Vicente Francisco, Jose Avelino, Olegario Clarin, Enrique Magalona, and Salipada Pendatun. Neophytes from the original Nacionalista Party are Tomas Confesor, Alejo Mabanag, Tomas Cabili, and Ramon Diokno. Newcomer Vicente Sotto was the sole candidate of the Popular Front elected.

José E. Romero of the Nacionalista was also a neophyte senator, but was unseated by the Prospero Sanidad of the Liberals, also a neophyte.

José O. Vera of the original Nacionalista Party, who last served in the Senate when it was abolished in 1935, is the sole senator to make a comeback.

The Liberal Party won nine out of 16 contested senatorial seats; the first eight senators would serve until 1951, and the second eight until 1949:

Key:

• ‡ Seats up
• ^ Vacancy
• + Gained by a party from another party
• √ Held by the incumbent
• * Held by the same party with a new senator

The Nacionalistas originally won 7 seats. but an election protest unseated a Nacionalista senator in favor of a Liberal one in 1946.

Party		Votes	%	Seats
				Up	Before	Won	After	+/−
	Nacionalista Party (Liberal wing)	8,634,829	47.26	6	7	9	10	+3
	Nacionalista Party	7,455,075	40.81	8	15	6	13	−2
	Popular Front	1,199,138	6.56	0	0	1	1	New
	Laborite Party	505,770	2.77	0	0	0	0	0
	Modernist Party	333,160	1.82	0	0	0	0	0
	Nacionalista Party (independent)	47,802	0.26	0	0	0	0	0
	Democratic Alliance	44,718	0.24	0	0	0	0	0
	National Welfare Service Party	39,486	0.22	0	0	0	0	0
	Democratic (Osmeña)	9,656	0.05	0	0	0	0	0
Vacancy				2	2	0	0	−2
Total		18,269,634	100.00	16	24	16	24	0
Total votes		2,569,880	–
Registered voters/turnout		2,898,604	88.66
Source: Dieter Nohlen; Florian Grotz; Christof Hartmann; Graham Hassall; Soliman M. Santos (15 November 2001). Elections in Asia and the Pacific: A Data Handbook: Volume II: South East Asia, East Asia, and the South Pacific. ISBN 9780199249596. & Julio Teehankee. "Electoral Politics in the Philippines" (PDF). quezon.ph.

• Rafael Martinez (Nacionalista)

• Commission on Elections
• 2nd Congress of the Commonwealth of the Philippines

• The Philippine Presidency Project
• Official website of the Commission on Elections