Senator Manuel “Lito” Mercado Lapid is one of many actors-turned-lawmakers the country has seen. He has worked in governance for over 30 years, but he has been in the film industry for twice as long. His latest acting credit is in FPJ’s Batang Quiapo, which he only dropped out of in February 2025 to focus on campaigning for the midterm elections. If he wins this year’s senate race, it will be his fourth term as senator.
Current position: Actor (1968-present), Senator (2004-2016, 2019-present)
Education: Graduated high school in St. Catherine’s Academy, Porac, Pampanga (1972)
Previous occupations: Pampanga Governor (1995-2004), Pampanga Vice Governor (1992-1995)
Affiliated parties: Nationalist People’s Coalition, Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas, Lakas-CMD (1998-2012)
Political Stances
Governance
He was embroiled in the 2004 Fertilizer Fund scam when the Pampanga provincial government, under his leadership, bought 3,880 bottles of fertilizers for P4.761 million. The money, part of the Department of Agriculture’s larger ₱728 million fertilizer fund, was allegedly diverted to then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s election campaign. In 2015, Lapid was charged with graft in relation to the scam, but the Sandiganbayan junked the case in 2016 due to inordinate delays in the investigation. In 2019, the Supreme Court reversed the Sandiganbayan’s ruling, reviving the case.
In 2020, Lapid filed a bill proposing the use of plain language in government announcements, advisories, and other similar documents. A similar bill was filed in the lower house in 2023 but has not yet been acted on.
Lapid also authored the Free Legal Assistance Act, which was signed into law in 2010, under the Arroyo administration. The law encourages private lawyers to provide free legal services to indigent clients by offering tax deductions as incentives. Due to the lack of implementing rules and regulations in the legislation, it was not implemented until 2022, under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
While Lapid has no definitive stance on Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) in the Philippines, he called for an investigation into a raided POGO hub in Porac in June 2024.
Economy
Lapid co-authored the Magna Carta for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). The law provides programs for training in entrepreneurship and for skills development for labor, and aims to in “raise government efficiency and effectiveness in providing assistance to MSMEs.”
He is supportive of the P100 minimum wage hike, believing that it would boost the economy by increasing workers’ purchasing power, but he also said in February 2024 that the government must consider the employers’ financial capabilities. He also co-authored a law establishing tax exemptions for bonuses and other benefits under P82,000.
Human Rights and Social Justice
Lapid co-authored the Magna Carta of Women, which seeks to protect and promote the rights of Filipino women. In 2019, he expressed disapproval of the SOGIE Equality Bill, stating that members of the LGBTQ do not experience discrimination, and that they should put up their own designated comfort rooms. “Siyempre alam nila lalaki pa rin ‘yan e, ‘di ba?” he said of trans women using women’s restrooms. His position on the Divorce Bill is unknown.
In 2023, he filed a bill proposing to strengthen the mandate of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR). The bill aims to give the CHR full fiscal autonomy “to ensure prompt, immediate, and unrestricted discharge of its functions.”
Healthcare
Lapid co-authored the Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act and the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, the latter of which reallocated national funds to programs responding to the COVID-19 crisis in 2020. He also co-authored the Doktor para sa Bayan Act, which institutionalized a medical scholarship program for qualified aspiring, new, and continuing medical students.
In 2022, he filed a bill that would require the reporting of deaths related to drug overdose (OD) and impose a P50,000 for any person withholding information on OD cases. According to Lapid, the bill would also require the Department of Health to “publish bi-annually findings on nationwide drug overdose trends that review overdose death rates and other information to ascertain changes in the cause and rates of fatal drug overdoses.”
National Security and Foreign Policy
Lapid co-authored the law establishing archipelagic sea lanes and setting obligations for foreign ships and aircraft passing the Philippines’ territories. He was also among the 11 senators who filed a resolution in 2021 condemning China’s illegal activities in the country’s exclusive economic zone (EZZ) and other parts of the West Philippine Sea. His views on the country’s relations with the United States and the International Criminal Court’s investigation into former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs have not been made public.
In 2020, he voted for the passage of the Anti-Terror Law, which strengthened law enforcement’s counterinsurgency mandate and allowed for the warrantless arrest and detainment of suspects being investigated for terrorism.
Environment and Disaster Preparedness
In February 2024, Lapid filed a bill seeking to establish the Department of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management. The department would “Carry out and harmonize the policies on disaster risk and vulnerability reduction and management, environmental management, climate change adaptation, and sustainable development.”
He also filed a bill in 2020 proposing the establishment of crop climate calendars and provide access to localized weather information, enabling farmers to make informed decisions and mitigate the adverse effects of severe weather conditions on agriculture.
Disinformation
In 2022, Lapid filed the The Online and Social Media Membership Accountability, which would mandate all social media operators to require users to submit a valid proof of identification before using their services. He said that with the measure, social media users would be inclined to share information responsibly. “Dapat na pong tapusin ang pag-gawa ng krimen at pagpapakalat ng kasinungalingan gamit ang pekeng user account sa mga social media platform,” he said.
Infrastructure Development
In 2019, Lapid introduced a bill proposing to establish greener and sustainable standards and regulations for the government’s infrastructure projects. The bill has not seen further legislative action.
In October 2024, he backed a bill seeking to create the Department of Water Resources and set up a framework for managing the country’s water resources.
He has not discussed his stance on environmental issues like illegal mining and logging.
Youth and Culture
Lapid has authored and supported measures to uphold the arts and culture sectors. He co-authored the Eddie Garcia Law, which provides workers in the movie and television industry with protections like reimbursement for transportation expenses, social security and welfare benefits, and the right to form, join, or assist in the formation of a labor organization.
In 2010, he also pushed for the establishment of a Philippine National Film and Sound Archive to promote the preservation of film and music in the country. While the bill was not passed, the Film Development Council of the Philippines did establish the Philippine Film Archive in 2011.
Lapid co-authored the Foundling Recognition and Protection Act, which sought to provide abandoned children with “greater protections” by giving them Filipino citizenship regardless of the status or circumstances of birth and setting standards for “safe haven providers.”
Sara Duterte Impeachment
Lapid has not given his position on the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Ahead of the midterm elections, Rolling Stone Philippines is taking a closer look at the Top 15 senatorial candidates based on the January 2025 surveys by polling firms Social Weather Stations and Pulse Asia.
