Philippine House of Representatives elections, 2007
Encyclopedia
The 2007 Philippine House of Representatives elections were held on May 14, 2007, to elect members to the House of Representatives of the Philippines
to serve in the 14th Congress of the Philippines
from June 30, 2007, until June 30, 2010. The Philippines
uses parallel voting
for seats in the House of Representatives.
In district elections, 219 single-member constituencies elect one member of the House of Representatives. The candidate with the highest number of votes wins that district's seat. In the party-list election, the parties with at least 2% of the national vote were elected, and 21 representatives were elected However, later in 2007 the Supreme Court
ruled in Banat vs. COMELEC that the 2% quota was unconstitutional, and that the sectoral representatives should comprise exactly 20% of the House. This led to the increase in the number of sectoral representatives to 51.
The administration-led TEAM Unity
maintained control of the House of Representatives although the opposition-backed Genuine Opposition
won control of the Senate
. Incumbent Speaker Jose de Venecia of Pangasinan
was elected Speaker after being the only one nominated: 186 voted for De Venecia, 1 against (Eduardo Joson
) and 24 abstentions.
(GO) targeted to win at least 80 seats to be able to impeach President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
; however the administration's TEAM Unity
prevented GO in winning several of those seats by fielding in strong candidates against GO in those districts.
(KAMPI), was seen to win majority of the seats, with most contests contested by the two parties. This inevitably produced a split in the administration ranks on who would be their candidate for Speaker in the impending victory. However, the two parties were united in supporting President Arroyo and were able to prevent any impeachment proceeding against her or her allies from reaching the Senate.
Lakas-CMD party leader and House Speaker Jose de Venecia was challenged by KAMPI's Pablo P. Garcia
for the speakership in the incoming 14th Congress of the Philippines
which has caused a battle between administration allies. Recently, Garcia was accused by Parañaque City
1st District Rep. Eduardo Ziacita and Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante, Jr. both under the party Lakas-CMD of using Government Service Insurance System or GSIS pension funds care of Garcia's son GSIS Vice-Chairman, General Manager and President Winston Garcia to bribe congressmen of PHP
300,000 to 400,000 to support his father's speakership bid.
, it declared the 2% threshold unconstitutional; instead it mandated that parties surpassing the 2% threshold automatically having seats, then allocating one seat for every party with less than 2% of the vote until the 20% allocation was met. With the formula used, this meant that the party with the highest amount of votes usually gets three seats, the other parties with 2% or more of the vote winning two seats, and parties with less than 2% of the vote getting one seat.
House of Representatives of the Philippines
The House of Representatives of the Philippines is the lower chamber of the...
to serve in the 14th Congress of the Philippines
14th Congress of the Philippines
The Fourteenth Congress of the Philippines was the national legislature of the Republic of the Philippines, composed of the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives...
from June 30, 2007, until June 30, 2010. The Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
uses parallel voting
Parallel voting
Parallel voting describes a mixed voting system where voters in effect participate in two separate elections for a single chamber using different systems, and where the results in one election have little or no impact on the results of the other...
for seats in the House of Representatives.
In district elections, 219 single-member constituencies elect one member of the House of Representatives. The candidate with the highest number of votes wins that district's seat. In the party-list election, the parties with at least 2% of the national vote were elected, and 21 representatives were elected However, later in 2007 the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the Philippines
The Supreme Court of the Philippines is the Philippines' highest judicial court, as well as the court of last resort. The court consists of 14 Associate Justices and 1 Chief Justice...
ruled in Banat vs. COMELEC that the 2% quota was unconstitutional, and that the sectoral representatives should comprise exactly 20% of the House. This led to the increase in the number of sectoral representatives to 51.
The administration-led TEAM Unity
TEAM Unity
Together Everybody Achieves More Unity was the umbrella coalition of the administration-backed senatorial line-up for the 2007 Philippine Midterm Elections. TEAM Unity is composed mostly of supporters and erstwhile critics of current Philippine president, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo...
maintained control of the House of Representatives although the opposition-backed Genuine Opposition
Genuine Opposition
Genuine Opposition is the umbrella political coalition of the parties' senatorial line-up for the 2007 Philippine midterm elections, which is in opposition to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo...
won control of the Senate
Senate of the Philippines
The Senate of the Philippines is the upper chamber of the bicameral legislature of the Philippines, the Congress of the Philippines...
. Incumbent Speaker Jose de Venecia of Pangasinan
Pangasinan
Pangasinan is a province of the Republic of the Philippines. The provincial capital is Lingayen. Pangasinan is located on the west central and peripheral area of the island of Luzon along the Lingayen Gulf, with the total land area being 5,368.82 square kilometers . According to the latest census,...
was elected Speaker after being the only one nominated: 186 voted for De Venecia, 1 against (Eduardo Joson
Eduardo Joson
Eduardo L. Joson was a captain of Filipino guerrillas during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II. He later became the Governor of the Nueva Ecija Province in the Philippines from 1959 to 1992, making him the longest serving politician serving one government position in...
) and 24 abstentions.
Genuine Opposition
The Genuine OppositionGenuine Opposition
Genuine Opposition is the umbrella political coalition of the parties' senatorial line-up for the 2007 Philippine midterm elections, which is in opposition to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo...
(GO) targeted to win at least 80 seats to be able to impeach President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga...
; however the administration's TEAM Unity
TEAM Unity
Together Everybody Achieves More Unity was the umbrella coalition of the administration-backed senatorial line-up for the 2007 Philippine Midterm Elections. TEAM Unity is composed mostly of supporters and erstwhile critics of current Philippine president, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo...
prevented GO in winning several of those seats by fielding in strong candidates against GO in those districts.
Lakas vs. KAMPI
The administration's two main parties, Lakas-CMD and Kabalikat ng Malayang PilipinoKabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino
The Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino , formerly the Kabalikat ng Mamamayang Pilipino , was a political party in the Philippines. It is the mother party of the incumbent Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo...
(KAMPI), was seen to win majority of the seats, with most contests contested by the two parties. This inevitably produced a split in the administration ranks on who would be their candidate for Speaker in the impending victory. However, the two parties were united in supporting President Arroyo and were able to prevent any impeachment proceeding against her or her allies from reaching the Senate.
Lakas-CMD party leader and House Speaker Jose de Venecia was challenged by KAMPI's Pablo P. Garcia
Pablo P. Garcia
Pablo Paras Garcia is a Filipino politician. A graduate of the University of San Carlos, Garcia placed 3rd in the 1951 Philippine Bar Examination with a rating of 91.5%. Garcia served as governor of Cebu from 1995 to 2004. He had previously served as the vice-governor of Cebu from 1969 to 1971...
for the speakership in the incoming 14th Congress of the Philippines
14th Congress of the Philippines
The Fourteenth Congress of the Philippines was the national legislature of the Republic of the Philippines, composed of the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives...
which has caused a battle between administration allies. Recently, Garcia was accused by Parañaque City
Parañaque City
The City of Parañaque , or simply Parañaque , is one of the cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila in the Philippines....
1st District Rep. Eduardo Ziacita and Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante, Jr. both under the party Lakas-CMD of using Government Service Insurance System or GSIS pension funds care of Garcia's son GSIS Vice-Chairman, General Manager and President Winston Garcia to bribe congressmen of PHP
Philippine peso
The peso is the currency of the Philippines. It is subdivided into 100 centavos . Before 1967, the language used on the banknotes and coins was English and so "peso" was the name used...
300,000 to 400,000 to support his father's speakership bid.
District elections results
District representatives are allocated 80% of the seats in the House:Party-list election result
Party-list representatives are allocated 20% of the seats in the House; however, due to the 2% threshold and the 3-seat cap rule, the 20% requirement was not met. On the BANAT vs. COMELEC decision of the Supreme CourtSupreme Court of the Philippines
The Supreme Court of the Philippines is the Philippines' highest judicial court, as well as the court of last resort. The court consists of 14 Associate Justices and 1 Chief Justice...
, it declared the 2% threshold unconstitutional; instead it mandated that parties surpassing the 2% threshold automatically having seats, then allocating one seat for every party with less than 2% of the vote until the 20% allocation was met. With the formula used, this meant that the party with the highest amount of votes usually gets three seats, the other parties with 2% or more of the vote winning two seats, and parties with less than 2% of the vote getting one seat.
External links
- Official website of the Commission on Elections
- Official website of National Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL)
- Official website of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV)
Media websites
- Halalan 2007 - Election coverage by ABS-CBNABS-CBNABS–CBN Corporation is a Philippine-based media conglomerate. It is the Philippines' largest media and entertainment conglomerate. The corporation was the merger of Alto Broadcasting System which at that time owned by James Lindenberg and Antonio Quirino, and the Chronicle Broadcasting Network ...
- Eleksyon 2007 - Election coverage by GMA NetworkGMA NetworkGMA Network is a major commercial television & radio network in the Philippines. GMA Network is owned by GMA Network, Inc. a publicly listed company...
- Eleksyon 2007 - Election coverage by the Philippine Daily InquirerPhilippine Daily InquirerThe Philippine Daily Inquirer, popularly known as the Inquirer, is the most widely read broadsheet newspaper in the Philippines, with a daily circulation of 260,000 copies. It is one of the Philippines' newspapers of record...