Iglesia ni Cristo and Philippine elections

The Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) is noted for its role in elections in the Philippines.

Bloc voting

The Iglesia ni Cristo is known for its practice of bloc voting during elections.[1][2][3] The INC is known for issuing directives to vote for certain candidates endorsed by the church under the tenet of obedience and the advocacy of a united unit.[1] INC spokesperson Edwil Zabala has stressed the importance of unity of its members with the church leadership.[4] As a consequence, candidates often attempt to secure endorsement from the INC.[5]

According to pollster, Mahar Mangahas the INC usually announces its endorsements around a week before election day "when the rankings of the candidates in the polls have stabilized" and concludes that candidates' ranking in opinion polls are a factor on how the INC chooses candidates to support.[5]

Endorsements

The following is the list of candidates who have been endorsed by the Iglesia ni Cristo. The list is limited to candidates running for president, vice president, and senators.

President

Year Rank Candidate Party Votes % Result Ref.
1935 1. Manuel Quezon Nacionalista 695,332 67.99 Won [3]
1941 1. Manuel Quezon Nacionalista 1,340,320 81.78 Won [3]
1946 1. Manuel Roxas Liberal 1,333,392 53.94 Won [3]
1949 3. Jose Avelino Liberal 419,890 11.85 Lost [3]
1961 1. Diosdado Macapagal Liberal 3,554,840 55.05 Won [3]
1965 1. Ferdinand Marcos Nacionalista 3,861,324 51.94 Won [3]
1969 1. Ferdinand Marcos Nacionalista 5,017,343 61.47 Won [3]
1981 1. Ferdinand Marcos KBL 18,309,360 88.02 Won [3]
1986 1. Ferdinand Marcos KBL 10,807,197 53.62 Won [3]
1992 3. Danding Cojuangco NPC 4,116,376 18.17 Lost [6]
1998 1. Joseph Estrada LAMMP 10,722,295 39.86 Won [7]
2004 1. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Lakas 12,905,808 39.99 Won [8][9]
2010 1. Benigno Aquino III Liberal 15,208,678 42.08 Won [10][11]
2016 1. Rodrigo Duterte PDP–Laban 16,601,997 39.02 Won [12][13]
2022 1. Bongbong Marcos PFP 31,629,783 58.77 Won [14][15]

Vice President

Year Rank Candidate Party Votes % Result Ref.
1998 1. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Lakas 12,667,252 49.56 Won [7]
2004 1. Noli de Castro Independent 15,100,431 49.80 Won [9]
2010 2. Mar Roxas Liberal 13,918,490 39.58 Lost [10][11]
2016 2. Bongbong Marcos Independent 14,155,344 34.47 Lost [12][13]
2022 1. Sara Duterte Lakas 32,208,417 61.53 Won [14][15]

Senators

Year Rank Candidate Party Votes % Result Ref.
2022 1. Robin Padilla PDP–Laban 27,027,235 48.23 Won [16]
2. Loren Legarda NPC 24,367,564 43.48 Won
4. Win Gatchalian NPC 20,678,804 36.89 Won
5. Francis Escudero NPC 20,320,069 36.26 Won
6. Mark Villar Nacionalista 19,563,262 34.91 Won
7. Alan Peter Cayetano Independent 19,359,758 34.54 Won
8. Migz Zubiri Independent 18,931,207 33.78 Won
9. Joel Villanueva Independent 18,539,537 33.08 Won
11. JV Ejercito NPC 15,901,891 28.37 Won
12. Jinggoy Estrada PMP 15,174,288 27.08 Won
13. Jejomar Binay UNA 13,348,887 23.82 Lost
16. Guillermo Eleazar Reporma 11,360,526 20.27 Lost

References

  1. ^ a b Quismundo, Tarra. "Expelled Iglesia ni Cristo minister's lawyer says bloc voting may be no more". Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  2. ^ "Analyst: Other Christian groups can negate INC bloc vote for Marcos, Duterte". ABS-CBN News. May 4, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Iglesia Ni Cristo endorsements and how the presidential candidates fared in the past elections". Philstar Life. The Philippine Star. May 4, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  4. ^ Cahiles, Gerg (April 6, 2019). "Politics of recognition: The power of religious endorsement in the 2019 polls". CNN Philippines. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Baclig, Cristina Eloisa (May 5, 2022). "INC endorsements: Do they matter?". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  6. ^ Shenon, Philip (May 11, 1992). "Under Marcos's Shadow, Filipinos Vote in Close Race". The New York Times. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Vanzi, Sol Jose (May 7, 1998). "Iglesia ni Cristo Endorses Erap-Gloria". Headline News Philippines. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  8. ^ "Arroyo wins Philippine election". Al Jazeera. June 20, 2004. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Sy, Marvin; Villanueva, Marichu (May 7, 2004). "INC, Shaddai endorse GMA". The Philippine Star. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "List of Candidates for President and Vice-President with Votes Obtained" (PDF). Commission on Elections. September 29, 2015. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  11. ^ a b Macairan, Evelyn (May 6, 2010). "INC picks Aquino, Roxas". The Philippine Star. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  12. ^ a b "Joint Public Session: Resolution of Both Houses No. 1" (PDF). Congress of the Philippines. May 30, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  13. ^ a b "Duterte, Marcos get INC endorsement for May 9 polls". CNN Philippines. May 2, 2016. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  14. ^ a b "National Canvassing 2022 - Joint Session of Congress". House of Representatives. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  15. ^ a b Gulleand, Jimbo; Pañares, Joyce Pangco (May 3, 2022). "INC endorses BBM, Sara". Manila Standard. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  16. ^ Escosio, Jan V. (May 3, 2022). "INC endorses BBM-Sara; find out 12 Senate bets that it is backing". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved May 25, 2022.