2004 Philippine general election

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2004 Philippine general election
Flag of the Philippines.svg
  2001 May 10, 2004 2007  
Registered43,895,324
Turnout33,510,092
2004 Philippine presidential election
Flag of the Philippines.svg
  1998 May 10, 2004 2010  
Turnout76.3% Decrease2.svg 10.2%
  President arroyo pentagon.jpg Fernando Poe Jr.jpg Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson cropped.jpg
Nominee Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Fernando Poe Jr. Panfilo Lacson
Party Lakas KNP LDP (Aquino wing)
Running mate Noli de Castro Loren Legarda N/A
Popular vote12,905,80811,782,2323,510,080
Percentage39.99%36.51%10.88%

President before election

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
Lakas

Elected President

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
Lakas

2004 Philippine vice presidential election
Flag of the Philippines.svg
 1998May 10, 2004 2004  
  Noli de Castro official cropped.jpg Loren Legarda - 2013 (cropped).jpg
Candidate Noli de Castro Loren Legarda
Party Independent KNP
Popular vote15,100,43114,218,709
Percentage49.80%46.89%

Vice President before election

Teofisto Guingona Jr.
Independent

Elected Vice President

Noli de Castro
Independent

2004 Philippine Senate election
Flag of the Philippines.svg
  2001 May 10, 2004 2007  

12 (of the 24) seats in the Senate
13 seats needed for a majority
 
Alliance K4 KNP
Seats won75
Popular vote132,793,97195,953,367
Percentage52.2437.74

Senate President before election

Franklin Drilon
Liberal

Elected Senate President

Franklin Drilon
Liberal

2004 Philippine House of Representatives elections
Flag of the Philippines.svg
  2001 May 10, 2004 2007  

All 261 seats in the House of Representatives (including underhangs)
131 seats needed for a majority
PartySeats+/–
Lakas 92+13
NPC 53+11
Liberal 29+10
LDP 15−6
Others 20−1
Party-list 28+12
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
Speaker beforeSpeaker after
Jose de Venecia Jr.
Lakas
Jose de Venecia Jr.
Lakas

Presidential elections, legislative elections and local elections were held in the Philippines on May 10, 2004. In the presidential election, incumbent president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo won a full six-year term as president, with a margin of just over one million votes over her leading opponent, highly popular movie actor Fernando Poe Jr.

Contents

The elections were notable for several reasons. This election first saw the implementation of the Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003 (see Wikisource), which enabled Filipinos in over 70 countries to vote. This is also the first election since the 1986 People Power Revolution where an incumbent president ran in the presidential election. Under the 1987 Constitution, an elected president cannot run for another term. However, Arroyo was not elected president, but instead succeeded ousted President Joseph Estrada, who was earlier impeached with charges of plunder and corruption in 2000 and later convicted on the plunder charge but received conditional pardon from Arroyo.

Moreover, this was the first time since 1986 that both the winning president and vice president were under the same party/coalition. This election was also held at a period in modern Philippines marked by serious political polarization. This resulted in lesser candidates for the presidential and vice presidential elections compared to the 1992 and 1998 elections.

Background

The political climate leading up to the 2004 elections was one of the most emotional in the country's history since the 1986 elections that resulted in the exile of Ferdinand Marcos. Philippine society has become polarized between the followers of former president Joseph Estrada who have thrown their support for Estrada's close associate Fernando Poe Jr. and those who support incumbent Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, or at best oppose Estrada.

The several months leading to the May elections saw several presidential scandals, Arroyo reversing her earlier decision not to run for president, the sudden but not unexpected candidacy of Fernando Poe Jr., defection of key political figures from the Arroyo camp to the opposition, the controversial automated elections initiative of the COMELEC, and the split of the dominant opposition party, Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino, between Poe and Panfilo Lacson.

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's candidacy

On a speech given on Rizal Day, December 30, 2002, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared that she would not run in the 2004 elections. Arroyo claimed that withdrawing from the race would relieve her of the burden of politics and allow her administration to devote the last year and half to the following:

First, strengthening the economy to create more jobs and to encourage business activities that are unhampered by corruption and red tape in government.

Second, healing the deep divisions within Philippine society.

Third, working for clean and honest elections in 2004.

This was hailed as a welcome development by many people, especially those in the business and economic sectors. Nine months later, on October 4, 2003, Arroyo completely changed her mind. Arroyo stated that her change of heart was for a higher cause and that she cannot ignore the call to further serve the country. Many people, especially those who held on to her commitment, were dismayed by her turnabout, though most were unsurprised since there had been clues months before that she would probably not stand by her earlier decision. Others welcomed this development, saying that she needs more time to implement her projects, and that she would be the strongest contender against a likely candidacy by Fernando Poe Jr.

Fernando Poe, Jr.'s candidacy

Months before the elections, members of the opposition have been encouraging Fernando Poe Jr., a close friend of former president Joseph Estrada to run for president. Poe was very popular with the masses and it was widely believed that he would be a sure winner if he ran for president.

On November 27, 2003, Poe ended months of speculation by announcing that he will run for president during a press conference held at the Manila Hotel.

However, on January 9, 2004, Victorino X. Fornier (a private citizen) filed a case against Poe and the COMELEC, saying that Poe wasn't eligible to run for he is not a natural-born Filipino before the COMELEC. On January 23, the COMELEC dismissed the petition for lack of merit. On February 10, Fornier finally filed the case to the Supreme Court, seeking Poe to be disqualified from the race. His case was later merged with cases filed by Maria Jeanette C. Tecson, and Felix B. Desiderio Jr., and by Zoilo Antonio G. Velez.

Death of Lawyer Maria Jeanette Tecson

On September 28, 2007, 8:30 p.m, Senior Superintendent Francisco Uyami, Pasig police chief stated that Lawyer Maria Tecson, 40, was found dead (in a state of rigor mortis) inside room 204 at the Richmond Hotel, San Miguel Avenue, Pasig (with her throat slit and with cuts on her wrist). [1] Maria Jeanette Tecson, Zoilo Velez (promoted to Court of Appeals Justice) and Victorino Fornier filed the disqualification case against Fernando Poe Jr. She claimed Poe was born out of wedlock and that while Poe's birth certificate was dated 1939, his parents Allan Poe and American mother Bessie Kelly did not marry until 1940. [2]

On March 3, the Supreme Court, said in its decision, that for lack of jurisdiction and prematurity, and ruling that Poe's father, Allan F. Poe would have been a Filipino citizen by virtue of the en masse Filipinization enacted by the Philippine Bill of 1902. Also, even if Poe wasn't a natural-born Filipino citizen, he cannot be held guilty of having made a material misrepresentation in his certificate of candidacy. [3]

Eddie Villanueva's candidacy

The Commission on Elections originally affirmed the candidacies of six people for the president. The sixth person running for president was Bro. Eddie Villanueva, spiritual director of Jesus is Lord Church. The party of Eduardo Villanueva filed a petition with the COMELEC seeking to disqualify Eddie Gil on the basis of him being a nuisance candidate, his incapacity to mount a nationwide campaign, and that because he was running with the aim to confuse voters because of their similar names.

The LDP split

The Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino party (LDP) would form the core of the main opposition party, the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP). However, members of the party disagreed on which person to support for president. Panfilo Lacson, a member of the party, advanced his candidacy for president but was not considered by Edgardo Angara, the president of the party. Angara supported Fernando Poe Jr. Together with the party's secretary-general Agapito Aquino, Lacson gathered the support of some members of the party and went ahead with his candidacy. The LDP was subsequently polarized between those supporting Angara and Poe, and those for Lacson and Aquino.

By then, Poe and Lacson have both filed their certificates of candidacies. According to the rules of candidacy, every presidential candidate must have a political party to back him or her. With the obvious split within the ranks of the LDP, and with no signs that the two factions would come to an agreement, the COMELEC decided to informally split the party into the Aquino and the Angara wings. Lacson then ran under the LDP – Aquino Wing, and Poe under the LDP – Angara Wing, which would later become the KNP.

During the campaign period, there had been numerous unification talks between the two factions. The opposition saw the need to become united under one banner to boost their chances of winning the presidential election against the organized political machinery of Arroyo. The plans of unification did not materialize due to the stubbornness of both Poe and Lacson. Lacson wanted Poe to concede to him and run as his vice-presidential candidate while the supporters of Poe wanted Lacson to back out from his candidacy and instead support Poe, citing his low performance in the surveys.

COMELEC's move for an automated elections

Elections in the Philippines have always been a manual process with the results for national positions often being announced more than a month after election day. An attempt to rectify this was done by the Commission on Elections by automating the process of counting the votes. More than 30 billion pesos were spent in acquiring counting machines that were never used in this elections because of numerous controversies and political opposition. [ citation needed ]

Timeline

2002

2003

2004

Parties and coalitions

This election has seen strong shifts of alliances and new parties as candidates switched allegiances. The two major coalitions seen in this elections were the K-4 (Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan), of the administration, and the KNP (Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino), the united opposition.

Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan (K-4)

The Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan (Coalition of Truth and Experience for Tomorrow) or K-4, is the remnant of the People Power Coalition that was formed following the ascendancy of president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to power. Arroyo is seeking a complete term under this coalition with Noli de Castro, an independent, yet popular, broadcaster, as her running mate. The leading party in this coalition is the ruling Lakas-CMD, of which Arroyo is a member. Other parties under this coalition are the Liberal Party, the Nacionalista Party, the Nationalist People's Coalition and the People's Reform Party.

Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP)

The Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (Coalition of United Filipinos), or KNP, is the coalition of the united opposition. Its standard bearers are Fernando Poe Jr. for president and Sen. Loren Legarda for vice-president. The leading parties of this coalition is the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP-Angara Wing), the PDP–Laban and the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino. the LDP split is caused by stubbornness between Fernando Poe Jr. and Ping Lacson. especially with the support of the former president Joseph Estrada and former first lady Imelda Marcos. The other major party under this coalition is Estrada's Partido ng Masang Pilipino (PMP, Party of the Filipino Masses).

Alyansa ng Pag-asa

The third major coalition running in this election is the Alyansa ng Pag-asa (Alliance of Hope), This coalition fielded Raul Roco for president and Herminiño Lagunzad Jr for vice-president. The three major parties supporting this coalition are Roco's Aksyon Demokratiko (Democratic Action), former Defense Sec. Renato de Villa's Reporma Party, and Lito Osmeña's Promdi (Probinsya Muna [Provinces First] Development Party). The three parties were the ones that bolted out of the People Power Coalition.

Bangon Pilipinas Movement (BPM)

The Bangon Pilipinas (Rise up, Philippines) Movement is the political party of Bro. Eddie Villanueva. It consists mostly of volunteers, a majority of whom came from Villanueva's Jesus Is Lord church (Villanueva resigned from the church before submitting his candidacy, to prevent questions on separation of church and state).

Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) (Aquino Wing)

This was composed of Panfilo Lacson's supporters in the LDP Party.

Partido Isang Bansa, Isang Diwa

This was Eddie Gil's organization. Gil was deemed a nuisance candidate and was disqualified from the presidential race, however, the party qualified for other positions.

Candidates

Other coalitions

Results

The official results of the election were released in staggered dates with most winners in local elective positions declared within two weeks from the May 10 election date. The winners in the Senatorial and Party-list Representative elections were declared on May 24, with the exception of the 12th senator which was announced on June 3. The results of the presidential and vice-presidential races were finalized by the Congress on June 20, more than a month after the elections. Out of the 43,536,028 registered voters, about 35.4 million ballots were cast giving a voter turn-out of 81.4%.

Shown below are the official tallies of the presidential, vice-presidential, and senatorial races as well as the last tallies of the Quickcount conducted by the National Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL), the citizens' arm of the COMELEC.

President

CandidatePartyVotes%
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Lakas–CMD 12,905,80839.99
Fernando Poe Jr. Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino 11,782,23236.51
Panfilo Lacson Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (Aquino wing) [lower-alpha 1] 3,510,08010.88
Raul Roco Aksyon Demokratiko 2,082,7626.45
Eddie Villanueva Bangon Pilipinas 1,988,2186.16
Total32,269,100100.00
Valid votes32,269,10096.30
Invalid/blank votes1,240,9923.70
Total votes33,510,092100.00
Registered voters/turnout43,895,32476.34
  1. Lacson ran under the wing of the LDP led by Butz Aquino; the rest of the party supported Poe's candidacy.

Breakdown

Vice president

Vice presidential election results per province/city. 2004PhilippineVicePresidentialElection.png
Vice presidential election results per province/city.
CandidatePartyVotes%
Noli de Castro [lower-alpha 1] Independent15,100,43149.80
Loren Legarda Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino 14,218,70946.89
Herminio Aquino Aksyon Demokratiko 981,5003.24
Rodolfo Pajo [lower-alpha 2] Partido Isang Bansa, Isang Diwa22,2440.07
Total30,322,884100.00
Valid votes30,322,88490.49
Invalid/blank votes3,187,2089.51
Total votes33,510,092100.00
Registered voters/turnout43,895,32476.34
  1. Running mate of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (Lakas–CMD)
  2. Running mate of Eddie Gil (Partido Isang Bansa, Isang Diwa) who was disqualified

Legarda vs. De Castro electoral protest

On January 18, 2008, in a 21-page resolution, penned by Senior Justice Leonardo Quisumbing, the Supreme Court of the Philippines, acting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), dismissed Sen. Loren Legarda's electoral protest against Noli de Castro. 3 reasons supported the judgment: first, the PET approved the recommendation of Hearing Commissioner and former Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chair retired SC Justice Bernardo P. Pardo that “the pilot-tested revision of ballots or re-tabulation of the certificates of canvass would not affect the winning margin of the protestee in the final canvass of the returns, in addition to the ground of abandonment or withdrawal by reason of Protestant's candidacy for, election and assumption of the office Senator of the Philippines;” second, Legarda's failure to pay the P 3.9 million ($1 = P 40) revision of ballots (in 124,404 precincts) fee despite court extension under Rule 33 of the PET; and third, jurisprudence of Defensor Santiago v. Ramos, teaches that Legarda "effectively abandoned or withdrawn her protest when she ran in the Senate, which term coincides with the term of the Vice-Presidency 2004–2010." Meanwhile, Noli De Castro on television stated: "This is the triumph of truth. The truth that I won fair and square. I thank the Supreme Court for echoing the true voice of the people. From the very beginning I was confident that I received the overwhelming mandate of our people as Vice President." Legarda stated that she will file a motion for reconsideration in due course. [4] [5]

Congress

In the legislative elections, voters elected twelve Senators (half the members of the Senate), who are elected at large with the whole country voting as one constituency, and all 208 members of the House of Representatives, who are elected from single-member districts.

Senate

Representation of results; seats contested are inside the box.

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Lakas-NUCD-UMDP

KNP

Liberal Party

LDP

PDP-Laban

PRP

Independent

Vacancy 2004 Philippine Senate election results.svg
Representation of results; seats contested are inside the box.
   Lakas-NUCD-UMDP
   KNP
   Liberal Party
   LDP
   PDP–Laban
   PRP
  Independent
  Vacancy

The COMELEC sits as the National Board of Canvassers for the 12 senatorial positions.

CandidateParty or allianceVotes%
Mar Roxas Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan Liberal Party 19,372,88854.56
Bong Revilla Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan Lakas–CMD 15,801,53144.50
Aquilino Pimentel Jr. Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino 13,519,99838.07
Jamby Madrigal Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino 13,253,69237.32
Dick Gordon Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan Lakas–CMD 12,707,15135.78
Pia Cayetano Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan Lakas–CMD 12,542,05435.32
Miriam Defensor Santiago Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan People's Reform Party 12,187,40134.32
Alfredo Lim Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino 11,286,42831.78
Juan Ponce Enrile Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino 11,191,16231.52
Jinggoy Estrada Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino 11,094,12031.24
Lito Lapid Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan Lakas–CMD 10,970,94130.90
Rodolfo Biazon Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan Liberal Party 10,635,27029.95
Robert Barbers Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan Lakas–CMD 10,624,58529.92
Ernesto Maceda Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino 9,944,32828.00
John Henry Osmeña Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan Independent 9,914,17927.92
Orly Mercado Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan Lakas–CMD 8,295,02423.36
Robert Jaworski Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan Lakas–CMD 6,921,42519.49
Boots Anson-Roa Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino 5,873,84516.54
Francisco Tatad Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino 5,718,74016.10
Heherson Alvarez Independent 4,791,08513.49
Ernesto Herrera Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino 4,612,03612.99
Perfecto Yasay Alyansa ng Pag-asa Aksyon Demokratiko 4,408,80812.42
Francisco Chavez Alyansa ng Pag-asa Partido ng Demokratikong Reporma-Lapiang Manggagawa 4,286,83812.07
Carlos Padilla Independent 3,863,69310.88
Salvador Escudero Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino 3,780,46910.65
Amina Rasul-Bernardo Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino 3,456,4809.73
Jay Sonza Alyansa ng Pag-asa Aksyon Demokratiko 2,839,4428.00
Parouk Hussin Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan Lakas–CMD 2,821,5227.95
Didagen Dilangalen Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino 2,222,0696.26
Melanio Mauricio Jr.Alyansa ng Pag-asa Aksyon Demokratiko 1,144,2793.22
Pilar Pilapil Independent 692,1371.95
Eduardo Nonato Joson Alyansa ng Pag-asa Aksyon Demokratiko 631,0411.78
Eddie Ilarde Independent 527,8651.49
Nicanor Gatmaytan Jr.Alyansa ng Pag-asa Aksyon Demokratiko 453,6931.28
Bong Coo Alyansa ng Pag-asa Aksyon Demokratiko 338,8460.95
Oliver Lozano Kilusang Bagong Lipunan 238,2720.67
Alvin Alvincent Almirante Kilusang Bagong Lipunan 206,0970.58
Ramon Montaño Partido Isang Bansa, Isang Diwa159,7350.45
Matuan UsopPartido Isang Bansa, Isang Diwa137,3760.39
Angel RosarioPartido Isang Bansa, Isang Diwa98,9320.28
Ismael AparriPartido Isang Bansa, Isang Diwa97,4300.27
Norma Nueva Kilusang Bagong Lipunan 96,1290.27
Carmen BorjaPartido Isang Bansa, Isang Diwa95,7550.27
Pendatun DecampongPartido Isang Bansa, Isang Diwa94,7130.27
Gerardo del Mundo Independent 88,9620.25
El Cid FajardoPartido Isang Bansa, Isang Diwa79,4710.22
Iderlina PagunuranPartido Isang Bansa, Isang Diwa59,7120.17
Arturo EstuitaPartido Isang Bansa, Isang Diwa39,0940.11
Total254,216,743100.00
Total votes35,510,092
Registered voters/turnout43,536,02881.56
Source: COMELEC (vote totals), NCSB (turnout)

    House of Representatives

    Elections at congressional districts
    2004 Philippine House of Representatives elections results.svg
    PartySeats+/–
    Lakas–CMD 92+13
    Nationalist People's Coalition 53+11
    Liberal Party 29+10
    Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino 15−6
    Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino 5+1
    Aksyon Demokratiko 20
    Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino 2+1
    Nacionalista Party 2New
    PDP–Laban 20
    Kilusang Bagong Lipunan 10
    Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas 10
    Partido para sa Demokratikong Reporma 1−1
    Independent4−4
    Party-list seats [lower-alpha 1] 520
    Total2610
    Source: Teehankee, Julio (2002). "Electoral Politics in the Philippines" (PDF). In Croissant, Aurel (ed.). Electoral Politics in Southeast and East Asia. Singapore: Fiedrich-Ebert-Siftung. pp. 149–202 via quezon.ph.
    1. Only 28 were seated in the party-list election.
    Party-list election
    PartyVotes%+/–Seats+/–
    Bayan Muna 1,203,3059.46−1.8430
    Association of Philippine Electric Cooperatives 934,9957.35+2.0430
    Akbayan 852,4736.70+4.203+1
    Buhay Hayaan Yumabong 705,7305.55+3.632+1
    Anakpawis 538,3964.23+4.232+1
    Citizens' Battle Against Corruption 495,1933.89+1.752+1
    Gabriela Women's Party 464,5863.65New2+1
    Partido ng Manggagawa 448,0723.52+2.092+1
    Butil Farmers Party 429,2593.37+1.192+1
    Alliance of Volunteer Educators 343,4982.70New1New
    Alagad 340,9772.68+1.911New
    Veterans Freedom Party 340,7592.68−1.161+1
    Cooperative NATCCO Network Party 270,9502.13+0.631New
    Anak Mindanao 269,7502.12+0.4310
    Ang Laban ng Indiginong Filipino 269,3452.12New1New
    An Waray 268,1642.11New1New
    Alyansang Bayanihan ng mga Magsasaka Mangagawang Bukid at Mangingisda and Adhikain at Kilusan ng Ordinaryong Tao 251,5971.98New0
    Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy 244,1371.92New0
    Senior Citizens/Elderly236,5711.86New0
    Philippines Guardians Brotherhood213,6621.68New0
    Ang Nagkakaisang Kabataan para sa Sambayanan 213,0681.67New0
    Trade Union Congress Party 201,3961.58New0
    Sanlakas 189,5171.49+0.490−1
    Bigkis Pinoy186,2641.46+0.430
    Suara Bangsamoro 164,4941.29New0
    Philippine Coconut Producers Federation 163,9521.29−0.230−1
    Sagip-Kapwa Foundation161,7971.27New0
    Aksyon Sambayan156,4671.23New0
    People's Movement Against Poverty 144,7401.14New0
    Barangay Association for National Advancement and Transparency 143,4541.13New0
    Abay Pamiliya Foundation133,9521.05+0.980
    Samahan ng mga Mangangakal para sa Ikauunlad ng Lokal na Ekonomiya133,4251.05New0
    Abanse! Pinay 115,8550.91+0.020−1
    Migrante Sectoral Party of Overseas Filipinos and their Families110,5070.87New0
    Alab Katipunan92,2620.73New0
    Assalam Bangsamoro People's Party91,9750.72New0
    Gabay ng Manggagawang Pilipino Party89,9780.71+0.590
    Alyansa ng may Kapansanang Pinoy86,6730.68New0
    Pinoy Overseas79,2140.62New0
    Ahonbayan68,2030.54+0.350
    Advocates and Adherents of Social Justice for School Teachers and Allied Workers65,5960.52New0
    Seaman's Party65,2310.51+0.010
    Bahandi sa Kaumahan ug Kadagatan61,6650.48New0
    National Federation of Small Coconut Farmers Organization 55,3780.44New0
    Bagong Tao Movement52,9190.42New0
    Alyansa ng Sambayanan para sa Pagbabago50,0630.39New0
    Maritime Party48,0370.38−0.270
    Visayas Farmers Party42,9200.34New0
    The True Marcos Loyalist (For God Country and People)42,0500.33−0.810
    Mindanao Federation of Small Coconut Farmers Organization39,1940.31New0
    Philippine Confederation of Drivers Organization and Alliance of Concerned Transport Operators38,0930.30New0
    Organisasyon ng Manggagawang Mag-aangat sa Republika38,3890.30New0
    Confederation of Grains Retailers Association of the Philippines33,9500.27New0
    Lapiang Manggagawa 31,3860.25New0
    Philippine Association of Retired Persons30,9840.24New0
    Farmers and Fisherfolks Aggrupation of the Philippines28,7390.23New0
    Aging Pilipino Organization27,6090.22New0
    Kaisang Loob para sa Marangal na Paninirahan26,3920.21New0
    Partido Katutubo Pilipino22,3700.18New0
    Partido Isang Bansa, Isang Diwa17,9940.14New0
    Visayan Association of the Philippines13,3400.10New0
    Novelty Entrepreneurship & Livelihood for Food13,2660.10New0
    Tribal Association of the Philippines8,7530.07New0
    Federation of Land Reform Farmers of the Philippines8,6600.07New0
    Sandigang Maralita7,9920.06−0.010
    Democratic Workers of the Philippines 3,9000.03−0.010
    Total12,723,482100.0028+11
    Valid votes12,723,48296.07+52.92
    Invalid/blank votes520,0223.93−52.92
    Total votes13,241,974
    Registered voters/turnout44,872,00729.51−12.17
    Source: COMELEC

    Local

    In the local elections, voters elected governors, vice-governors, and board members of the country's 79 provinces, and the mayor, vice-mayor and councilors of the nation's more than 1,600 cities and municipalities.

    Exit polls

    During and immediately after the elections, exit polls were conducted by various organizations including the Social Weather Stations. According to "The SWS 2004 Day of Election Survey: Final Exit Poll Scores Excluding Blank Answers", released by the SWS on May 19, 2004, the national vote percentages are: GMA 45%, FPJ 34%, Lacson 10%, Roco 6%, Villanueva 5% (slightly different numbers from May 11; error margin 2%, n = 4,445)." [6]

    These results are affirmed when compared to the NAMFREL Quick Count as of May 21, as tabulated in "Comparison of ABS-CBN/SWS Exit Poll 2004 Results (as of May 17, 9 am; excluding No Answer) and NAMFREL Quick Count as of May 21 1:00 p.m. (Report #63)". [7] The NAMFREL Quick Count shows GMA at 40.4%, FPJ at 36.5%, Lacson at 10.8%, Roco at 6.2%, and Villanueva at 6.1%. [7]

    It is notable in light of the subsequent Hello Garci scandal how exit polling revealed the candidates' performance in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. To wit, the SWS exit poll shows that GMA won only 44% of ARMM while FPJ won 50% (in short, 44–50); the NAMFREL Quick Count showed a score of 34.3–56.5. [7] However, the final official COMELEC Canvass showed a result of 62% vs. 31% in favor of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. [7] This highly irregular result constituted prima facie evidence of cheating in the ARMM.

    The SWS also published the number of registered voters per region as of April 28, 2004—or just a week before the elections—for the purpose of comparing their sample sizes with the actual number of voters. The ARMM had 1,057,458 voters. [8]

    However, recall that in the final official COMELEC canvass, FPJ won 31% of ARMM votes. If he had won 100% of ARMM, he could gain only 69% more of the ARMM voters, or 729,646 votes. Given that the final difference between GMA and FPJ was 1,123,576 votes, GMA would still have won the election by a total of 393,930 votes.

    Even if FPJ won 100% of the ARMM, GMA would still have won. So great was GMA's lead, that even if they padded ARMM voter rolls so that it would show 1.5 million voters, 69% of that would only be 1.035 million votes, still not enough to overcome the 1.123-million vote lead.

    This result is actually consistent with the trend of the pre-election opinion polls conducted also by the SWS. On April 23, just a little over two weeks before the election, the SWS released a poll, and the headline of the SWS report by itself was historically significant: "SWS April 10–17, 2004 Survey: Roco Depleted, Voters Go To GMA and Undecided". [9] The report's first line gives away the game: "Raul Roco's sudden departure for abroad cost him almost half of his voting strength, allowing Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to gain a slim lead ..." [9] That lead could not be reversed: at the last pre-election SWS opinion poll (conducted from May 1 to 4) released on May 8, 2004, or just two days before the election, "GMA Leads FPJ By 7%", 37% to 30%, with 12% undecided. [10]

    Official Congressional canvass

    Under the constitution, the Congress is mandated to become the National Board of Canvassers for the top two positions, the president and the vice-president. Tallying in the 216,382 precincts nationwide are submitted in Election Returns that are forwarded to the municipal and city board of canvassers. These are then tabulated and forwarded to the provincial board of canvassers which prepare the 176 Certificates of Canvass (CoC). These CoCs were forwarded to the joint session of the Congress at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City on May 25, 2004.

    Senators and representatives from the administration and opposition have debated heatedly on the procedure of counting the CoCs. The traditional way of counting the certificates, as used in the 1992 and 1998 elections, was to appoint a joint committee consisting of seven senators and seven representatives. Many opposition legislators, notably, Cong. Didagen Dilangalen of Maguindanao, opposed this traditional method as unconstitutional saying that it should be the whole Congress, not a committee, who should count the votes. Part of the argument was that "power delegated cannot be further delegated", referring to the delegation of counting to a committee. The proposal of some legislators was for the whole Congress to sit in a joint session counting each and every single Certificate of Canvass.

    The debates and deliberations for the rules of canvassing were finished by the Congressional joint session on May 28. The rules decided were very similar to the ones used in the 1992 and 1998 elections, which called for a joint committee to act as the National Board of Canvassers. The notable difference is the increase of the number of committee members from 14 to 22, this time consisting of 11 senators and 11 representatives. The composition of the committee was also announced by the senate president, Franklin Drilon, and the Speaker of the House, Jose de Venecia. The composition was immediately lambasted by the Opposition; the House portion of the committee consisted of 9 administration representatives and 2 opposition. The Poe camp called for a more equal representation for all the involved political parties in the committee, despite the appointed commission mirroring the current composition of the House: there are 190 administration representatives in a 220-seat House.

    The official canvassing by the Congressional Joint Committee started on June 4, a little less than one month after election day. Canvassing was done in a slow pace, averaging about 12 Certificates of Canvass per day, as the Opposition accused Administration politicians of railroading the canvass. The Opposition lawyers wanted to question the validity of 25 CoCs, especially in those areas where Arroyo posted a wide margin over Poe. They wanted the committee to examine the Statement of Votes at the municipal level and even down to the Election Returns at the precinct level to prove their claim that the Certificates of Canvass have been tampered with in favor of Arroyo. Administration lawyers contend that the committee is not the proper place to lodge complaints of fraud and that the Opposition should go to the Presidential Election Tribunal (the Supreme Court) after the winner has been proclaimed.

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