Remorse, Resentment, & Resilience: The 2025 Midterm Philippine Elections

The 2025 midterm elections in the Philippines featured a display of voter behaviour that mirrored its mixed outcomes for its democracy. This article analyses the electoral campaign and results of the national and local elections from the perspective of featured three main emotional narratives: remorse, resentment, and resilience. Despite having a majority electoral mandate, many voters exhibited remorse by refusing to support the candidates endorsed by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. The unravelling of his alliance with the Dutertes also fuelled voter resentment mainly from southern Philippines to vote for the candidates endorsed by former president Rodrigo Duterte and Vice-President Sara Duterte. Finally, the good electoral performance of progressive and liberal-leaning candidates also showed the resilience of a third political force in the midst of the polarized conflict between the Marcos and Duterte dynasties. This article concludes by examining the implications of the 2025 midterm elections for the remainder for the Marcos Jr administration and its consequences for Philippine democracy.