Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte. PDP LABAN

Overseas Filipino voters in the UAE and the rest of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries delivered a sweeping victory to candidates endorsed by former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte and his PDP Laban party, voting up to 12 Duterte-backed senatorial bets into the Top 12 in nearly every country in the region. Partial and unofficial results from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) show that PDP Laban’s slate, dubbed the “DuterTEN” and its adopted candidates dominated 12 senatorial slots in overseas absentee voting across the GCC—particularly in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman. All PDP Laban-backed bets made it to the Top 12 in every GCC country—with only one anomaly: in Oman, Imee Marcos fell short of 12th place by just 39 votes, edged out by former senator Ping Lacson who secured 695 votes compared to her 656. This year marked the first implementation of online voting for overseas Filipinos, with voting taking place from April 13 to May 12 via the Commission on Elections (Comelec) portal. Filipinos in six GCC countries—UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman—cast their votes for 12 senators and one party-list group. Despite a modest 20 percent voter turnout across the UAE—where 37,976 out of 189,892 registered voters cast their votes—Duterte’s endorsement significantly influenced the results, with all ten original PDP Laban candidates and two out of three adopted candidates making it to the top 12. Bong Go and Bato Dela Rosa consistently ranked 1st and 2nd across all GCC countries. The PDP Laban slate included incumbent senators Go, Dela Rosa, and other Duterte allies such as Rodante Marcoleta, Jimmy Bondoc, Raul Lambino, Jayvee Hinlo, Vic Rodriguez, Phillip Salvador, Marites Mata, and Apollo Quiboloy. On the last day of campaigning, PDP Laban also officially adopted Senator Marcos and Representative Camille Villar as guest candidates to boost their support. Vice President Sara Duterte personally endorsed Marcos and Villar, while her father personally endorsed Gringo Honasan. Their inclusion was meant to bolster the defense of Vice President Duterte, daughter of Rodrigo Duterte. The party stated in a resolution that “there is a need for more allies to protect the Vice President against impeachment.” Former president Duterte remains a polarizing figure in Philippine politics. Despite his current detention in The Hague to face crimes against humanity over his controversial war on drugs, his political clout remains strong among overseas Filipinos, many of whom credit his administration for overseas labor reforms and assertive foreign policy. “There is no doubt that former president Duterte still has the love of the people—even outside the Philippines,” a campaign supporter in Dubai told Expat Media

Halalan 2025 results: Top 12 senatorial candidates by GCC country

UAE

Top 12 senators (in order): 1. Bong Go – 27,459 2. Bato Dela Rosa – 26,047 3. Rodante Marcoleta – 25,171 4. Jimmy Bondoc – 19,744 5. Vic Rodriguez – 18,432 6. Raul Lambino – 17,555 7. Jayvee Hinlo – 16,679 8. Phillip Salvador – 13,886 9. Marites Mata – 13,366 10. Apollo Quiboloy – 12,643 11. Gringo Honasan – 12,562 12. Imee Marcos – 10,937

Saudi Arabia

Top 12 senators: 1. Bong Go – 12,832 2. Bato Dela Rosa – 12,181 3. Rodante Marcoleta – 12,144 4. Jimmy Bondoc – 9,709 5. Vic Rodriguez – 8,980 6. Raul Lambino – 8,587 7. Jayvee Hinlo – 8,003 8. Phillip Salvador – 6,934 9. Marites Mata – 6,661 10. Apollo Quiboloy – 6,643 11. Gringo Honasan – 6,167 12. Imee Marcos – 5,617

Kuwait

Top 12 senators: 1. Bong Go – 5,673 2. Bato Dela Rosa – 5,418 3. Rodante Marcoleta – 5,171 4. Jimmy Bondoc – 4,736 5. Vic Rodriguez – 4,228 6. Raul Lambino – 4,225 7. Jayvee Hinlo – 4,155 8. Phillip Salvador – 3,882 9. Apollo Quiboloy – 3,602 10. Marites Mata – 3,429 11. Gringo Honasan – 2,679 12. Imee Marcos – 2,196

Qatar

Top 12 senators: 1. Bong Go – 7,389 2. Bato Dela Rosa – 6,990 3. Rodante Marcoleta – 6,906 4. Jimmy Bondoc – 5,589 5. Vic Rodriguez – 5,370 6. Raul Lambino – 5,000 7. Jayvee Hinlo – 4,727 8. Marites Mata – 3,931 9. Phillip Salvador – 3,748 10. Gringo Honasan – 3,591 11. Apollo Quiboloy – 3,541 12. Imee Marcos – 3,085

Bahrain

Top 12 senators: 1. Bong Go – 3,218 2. Bato Dela Rosa – 3,058 3. Rodante Marcoleta – 2,882 4. Jimmy Bondoc – 2,504 5. Vic Rodriguez – 2,239 6. Raul Lambino – 2,179 7. Jayvee Hinlo – 2,074 8. Phillip Salvador – 1,903 9. Apollo Quiboloy – 1,722 10. Gringo Honasan – 1,657 11. Marites Mata – 1,640 12. Imee Marcos – 1,379

Oman

Top 12 senators: 1. Bong Go – 1,591 2. Bato Dela Rosa – 1,465 3. Rodante Marcoleta – 1,398 4. Jimmy Bondoc – 1,153 5. Vic Rodriguez – 1,057 6. Raul Lambino – 1,014 7. Jayvee Hinlo – 957 8. Phillip Salvador – 852 9. Marites Mata – 827 10. Apollo Quiboloy – 764 11. Gringo Honasan – 707 12. Ping Lacson – 695 With 100 percent of votes counted in the GCC, Duterte’s influence among overseas Filipinos remains formidable. While the former president is currently detained in The Hague, his loyal supporters across the GCC have spoken with their votes, electing his entire slate. The official national tally continues in the Philippines. ICA/CAM/PIA/Expat Media