| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Kongreso / Congress |
| Structure of parliament |
Bicameral |
| Chamber name (generic / translated) |
Senado / Senate |
| Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) |
Kapulungan Ng Mga Kinatawan / House of Representatives
|
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
10 May 2010 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for one-half of the Senate seats on the normal expiry of the members' term of office. |
The May 2010 parliamentary elections were held concurrently with the presidential polls. At stake were 280 seats in the House of Representatives (up from 269
see note) and half of the Senate seats (12).
In the previous elections held in May 2007
TEAM Unity (Together Everyone Achieves More) - a coalition formed by supporters of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo - took nearly 170 of the 240 seats in the House of Representatives. The coalition included President Arroyo's Lakas-Kampi-CMD and the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC). An electoral coalition called the "Genuine Opposition" (GO) took 44 seats. The GO included the Liberal Party (LP) and the Nationalist Party. Most of the 25 party nominees
proposed by indigenous groups
subsequently joined TEAM Unity. Only four pro-presidential candidates were elected to the Senate
where the GO coalition took an overall majority.
Since she was elected in 2004
President Arroyo had been seeking Charter (constitutional) change
known locally as "Cha-Cha". These changes aim at transforming the country's system of government from the current presidential system to a parliamentary one. Her opponents accused her of eying the Speaker's post and trying to return to power as Prime Minister once the constitutional changes were adopted. She had risen from being the country's Vice-President to President in January 2001 after the then President
Joseph Estrada
was impeached on allegations of corruption.
Ms. Arroyo was constitutionally barred from seeking a second consecutive term in 2010. Instead
she ran for a seat in the House of Representatives. She pledged to continue the Charter change. Former first lady Imelda Marcos - whose late husband
Ferdinand Marcos
served as President between 1969 and 1986
having imposed martial law in 1972 - was also vying for a House seat. Ms. Marcos had been elected to the House in 1995.
The media focused on the presidential polls
placing the parliamentary polls on the back burner.
President Arroyo endorsed Mr. Gilberto Teodoro of her Lakas-Kampi-CMD party as her successor. The Lakas-Kampi-CMD led a coalition with two small parties: the KABACA and the SARRO. The coalition pledged to work towards a "dynamic and progressive Philippines" by alleviating poverty and providing better infrastructure.
The Lakas-Kampi-CMD coalition was challenged by the NP-NPC coalition. The NP leader
former Senate President Manny Villar
was also running for the presidency. Mr. Villar
a property tycoon
focused on his rags-to-riches story
but his image was reportedly tarnished by corruption allegations. Former actor and president
Joseph Estrada
was also running. He had been jailed in 2001 for corruption but was pardoned by President Arroyo later the same year. He reportedly remained popular thanks to his heroic gangster movies.
Senator Benigno Aquino III - Mr. Teodoro's cousin and son of charismatic former President Corazon Aquino
who passed away in August 2009 - ran for the presidency on a Liberal Party (LP) ticket. The LP of former Speaker and Quezon City Mayor
Mr. Feliciano Belmonte Jr.
was in coalition with the KKK (Kapayapaan
Katarungan
Kaunlaran). The LP coalition promised to lead a transparent administration. Mr. Aquino vowed to open an investigation into past allegations of corruption against President Arroyo. His running mate
Senator Manuel Roxas II
publicly criticized President Arroyo's bid for a House seat
arguing that she was seeking protection from prosecution.
Mr. Aquino accused the government of supporting the candidature of Mr. Villar
reportedly a close ally of President Arroyo
so he would keep quiet on issues confronting the current administration such as corruption scandals. As the only post-war parliamentarian to have presided over both Houses of Congress
Mr. Villar criticized Mr. Aquino for not having passed a single law after serving three terms in the House and one term in the Senate.
Many members of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD party reportedly supported either Mr. Aquino or Mr. Villar. In early April
Albay Governor Joey Salceda - one of President Arroyo's top economic advisers - announced that he would support Mr. Aquino.
73.42 per cent of the 50 million registered voters turned out for the polls.
As in the past
the elections were marred by violence
resulting in the death of over 90 people. They included the 57 victims of a mass killing in November 2009 in Mindanao. Over 30 more people were killed during the election campaign and at least 12 others died on polling day as a result of political violence. Four municipalities in Mindanao declared that polling could not take place after poll workers reported harassment and death threats. The election commission accepted the declaration and announced that it would organize special elections there.
Technical problems with new automated voting machines that were being used for the first time were reported in several polling stations.
No major international organizations sent observer missions. The People's International Observers' Mission 2010 (PIOM) comprising 86 foreign observers from 11 countries - Argentina
Australia Canada
China
France
Germany
Denmark Japan
New Zealand
the United Kingdom and the United States - monitored the polls. They noted several irregularities and criticized the lack of secrecy in certain precincts.
The final results for the House of Representatives gave 119 seats to the LP
45 to the Lakas-Kampi-CMD coalition
and 22 to the NP-NPC coalition. The remainder went to small parties. In the Senate
the LP and the NP-NPC coalition won three seats each. The Lakas-Kampi-CMD and the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (Force of the Filipino Masses) of outgoing Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile took two seats each while the People's Reform Party (PRP) took one seat. The remaining seat went to an independent candidate. Both President Arroyo and Ms. Marcos were elected to the House of Representatives.
In the presidential elections
Mr. Aquino was elected with over 40 per cent of the votes.
Supporters of Mr. Aquino formed the Conscience and Reform (CORE) coalition in the House of Representatives in a bid to prevent Ms. Arroyo from obtaining the speakership.
The newly-elected House of Representatives and the Senate were convened on 26 July. The House elected Mr. Feliciano R. Belmonte
Jr. (LP) as its new Speaker. The Senate re-elected Mr. Juan Ponce Enrile of the Force of the Filipino Masses (Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino
PMP) as its President.
Note: The number of party nominees has been increased to 52. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 10 May 2010 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
50'723'733
37'243'529 (73.42%)
|
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
Seats 2010 |
|
|
|
| Independents |
5
|
1 |
|
|
|
| Nationalist Party (NP) |
4
|
2 |
|
|
|
| Liberal Party (LP) |
4
|
3 |
|
|
|
| Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats - Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Lakas-Kampi-CMD) |
4
|
2 |
|
|
|
| Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC) |
2
|
1 |
|
|
|
| Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (Force of the Filipino Masses
PMP) |
2
|
2 |
|
|
|
| People's Reform Party (PRP) |
1
|
1 |
|
|
|
| Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) |
1
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
20
3
13.04%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
| Comments |
Note on the vacant seat:
Following the election of Senator Aquino of the Liberal Party (LP) as the country's President in May 2010
there is currently one vacant seat in the Senate. It will be filled at the next general elections due in 2013.
Note on the distribution of seats according to sex:
Two women were elected in 2010. After the elections there were three women senators (with one vacant seat).
Source: Senate (12.07.2010) |
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
