Millions of people voted in the elections in the Philippines on Monday. Former president Rodrigo Duterte, who is in prison, was a candidate for one of the many positions. News showed President Marcos Jr. voting in Batac City.

In this picture, the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., is in the middle. He is showing the special ink on his finger after voting in Batac City, Philippines, on Monday, May 12, 2025.

A man is casting his vote at a polling station in Quezon City, Philippines, on Monday, May 12, 2025.

People in Quezon City, Philippines, voted on Monday, May 12, 2025.

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte talked to reporters after she voted in Davao City on Monday, May 12, 2025.

In this picture from Team Pacquiao, the famous Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao shows the ink on his finger after he voted in the southern Philippines on Monday, May 12, 2025.

Teresa Cerojano is the author of this article.

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was a candidate in the elections on Monday, even though he is in The Hague. People were trying to get about 18,000 jobs in the government in these elections. Experts think these elections will show if he and his family will stay in power.

Duterte is with the International Criminal Court since March. He is waiting for his trial there. He is accused of crimes against humanity. This is because of his war against illegal drugs when he was president from 2016 to 2022. Many people died in this war. But this has not stopped him from trying to become mayor of Davao city, which is his main area.

In the Philippines, if someone is accused of a crime, they can still try to get a job in the government, even if they are in prison. This is allowed unless a court has said they are guilty and they cannot ask a higher court to look at the case again.

Many people think Duterte will win as Davao mayor. He was mayor for more than twenty years before he became president. But it is hard to see how he can be mayor if he is in prison.

More than 68 million people in the Philippines could vote on Monday to choose new leaders.

Voting stopped at 7 p.m. where they were. But if people were still in line, they could still vote. The people running the election said they might know the first results in a few hours. But the real results would be told within a week.

People are watching the election for the Senate carefully. This election is important for the political future of Vice President Sara Duterte. She is the daughter of former President Duterte. In July, she might have a trial in the Senate. Some people say she planned to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. They also say she used money from her office in a bad way. Sara Duterte says these things are not true. She says her political enemies are telling these stories to hurt her.

Many people think Sara Duterte could be president in 2028. But if the Senate says she did something wrong, she will stop being vice president and cannot work for the government. To not be found guilty, she needs at least nine of the 24 senators to say yes to her.

Maria Ela Atienza, a professor at the University of the Philippines, said the 2025 elections are very important. She said the winners will show what will happen next and which group will be strongest in the 2028 elections.

If Sara Duterte is found guilty in the trial, it could mean the Duterte family will not have important jobs in the government anymore, she said. Other family members are also running in the election. Rodrigo Duterte’s youngest son, Sebastian, is the current mayor of Davao and wants to be vice mayor. Many people think he will win. His oldest son Paolo wants to be elected again as a member of the House of Representatives. Two of his grandsons are also trying to get elected in local elections.

Rodrigo Duterte was put on trial and sent to The Hague because Marcos and Sara Duterte had disagreements and different goals in politics.

On Monday, Sara Duterte voted in Davao. Marcos voted in his hometown of Batac City in the north.

After she voted, she told reporters that she would accept the voters' decision, even if the people she supported did not win.

She talked about her father winning. She said, "He will not be here. We think the vice mayor, Sebastian, will be the mayor for a while."

The day before the election, Marcos made a video and asked people in the Philippines to vote and say what they think.

Her father's spiritual advisor and political friend, Apollo Quiboloy, who preaches on TV, wants to be a Senator too. But he is in jail because people say he did bad things like sexual abuse and human trafficking. The U.S. also wants him for the same reasons.

There were some problems with voting because of violence in different places. In one city, police said two people died and seven were hurt in a shooting. In another town, supporters of two people who wanted to be mayor had a gunfight. Two people died and two were hurt there. In a place called Basilan, seven people were killed in shootings that police think were about the election. Other people were also hurt in shootings in other parts of the country.

Also, fights between people who liked different candidates stopped voting in some areas. In Manila, some voters said their names were not on the list where they should vote. Others were unhappy about the long line in the very hot weather.

Voter Reymark Marquez said the Marcos-Duterte team that won in 2022 did not do what they promised. He said the next elections are not just about Duterte and Marcos, but about choosing good leaders.

"I think this election is very important for the future of our children," said Diana Joy Acosta, a 32-year-old new mother. She voted in a school in Manila. She hopes the new politicians will be honest and stop corruption, for her baby's future.