Official results from the Philippines Election Commission shows key allies of detained former President Rodrigo Duterte and two liberal opposition candidates are among top winners in the nation's midterm Senate race.

Philippine governments have used extrajudicial killings and state terror to suppress working-class anger over declining living conditions and opposition to US-led war preparations against China.

Two liberal Philippine politicians have emerged as key players after a surprisingly strong performance in Senate elections, gaining support from a bloc of voters dissatisfied with rancor between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.