Partial results of canvassing of the Philippine senatorial and local elections showed an early victory for the administration party as it looms to control the 24-seat Senate.

Nine of the twelve senatorial seats in the winning circle belong to the political party of President Benigno Aquino.

Number one on the list is a surprise candidate, Mary Grace Poe Llamanzares, with 14.3 million votes as of the latest count. Ms Llamanzares was not so prominent in pre-election surveys. She was the former head of the Movies and Television Review and Classification Board and the daughter of deceased movie actor Fernando Poe Jr., who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2004.

Based on the partial results, it appears there would be more female representation in the Senate as four of the top 12 are women, including Ms Llamanzares, 2nd placer Loren Legarda, the controversial Nancy Binay and Cynthia Villar.

Ms Binay, Ms Villar and Gregorio Honasan are the only opposition candidates in the top 12, while the rest belong to the administration party.

With the four female candidates almost sure of being proclaimed based on their top position in the list, the Senate would have four incoming female senators, plus incumbents Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Pia Cayetano, for a total of 6 or one fourth of the Upper House.

Having majority support in the Senate would assure the president of support for his economic agenda which has received the approval likewise of international rating agencies that gave three upgrades recently to the Philippines' credit rating.

The Commission on Election said the winners would likely be proclaimed by the middle of the week.

Included in the winners is former President Joseph Estrada, who was ousted in 2000 and found guilty of plunder. He ran as mayor of Manila, the capital city of the Philippines.

More than 18,000 national and local positions are at stake in the May 13 election. There are 52 million Filipino voters out of the country's 100 million residents.

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