Second ladies and gentlemen of the Philippines

The second lady or second gentleman of the Philippines is the informal and de facto courtesy title used to refer to the spouse of the vice president of the Philippines. Wider usage of the title emerged in media and public discourse in 2026 when referring to Manases Carpio, the husband of the 15th and incumbent vice president Sara Duterte.

The title of second lady or second gentleman has no official constitutional or legal basis, nor does it have traditional precedent comparable to the position of first lady.

Background

Media outlets in the Philippines began referring to Manases "Mans" Carpio as the “second gentleman” during the coverage of political controversies involving his wife, vice president Sara Duterte in early 2026, including impeachment proceedings in the House of Representatives and associated petitions in the Supreme Court.

There has been a rare instance in which the female spouse of the vice president was referred to using the title “second lady,” as evidenced by an existing copy of Fidel V. Ramos’s 1992 presidential inauguration program, which referred to Loi Ejercito as the second lady, the wife of vice-president-elect Joseph Estrada.

List of spouses of the Philippine vice president during their tenures