2003 Isabela's 4th congressional district special election

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2003 special election at Isabela's 4th congressional district
← 2001 May 12, 2003 2004 →
Isabela's 4th congressional district
 
Candidate Giorgidi Aggabao Asuncion Abaya
Party NPC
Lakas
Popular vote 59,444 41,996
Percentage 58.60% 41.40%
Representative before election

Antonio Abaya

Lakas

 Representative-elect

Giorgidi Aggabao
NPC

A

special election for Isabela's 4th district seat in the House of Representatives of the Philippines was held on May 12, 2003. Held due to the death of Antonio Abaya, Giorgidi Aggabao
won the special election, beating Abaya's widow Asuncion, to succeed him in the House of Representatives.

Electoral system

Main article: List of special elections in the Philippines

Each congressional district of the Philippines sends one representative to the House of Representatives. An election to the seat is via first-past-the-post, in which the candidate with the most votes, whether or not one has a majority, wins the seat. Based on Republic Act (RA) No. 6645, in order for a special election to take place, the seat must be vacated, the relevant chamber notifies the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) the existence of a vacancy, then the COMELEC schedules the special election. There is a dispute in the procedure as a subsequent law, RA No. 7166, supposedly amended the procedure, bypassing the need for official communication from the relevant chamber of the vacancy. The COMELEC has always waited on official communication from the relevant chamber before scheduling a special election.[1]

Meanwhile, according to RA No. 8295, should only one candidate file to run in the special election, the COMELEC will declare that candidate as the winner and will no longer hold the election.[2]

Campaign

Representative Antonio Abaya, who had represented the Isabela's 4th legislative district from 1987 to 1998, and since 2001, died on February 26, 2003. Abaya, who was term-limited in 1998, ran for mayor of Santiago but was beaten. He ran again for the seat (that includes Santiago) in 2001 and won.[3]

As the

PDP–Laban) had declared his intention to run, relying on the support of Santiago and three other towns. Other potential candidates were former board member Giorgidi Aggabao, who had been beaten by Abaya in 2001 and was backed by Isabela governor Faustino Dy Jr., and Asuncion Abaya, the late representative's widow, who is a medical doctor.[4]

Later on, Miranda withdrew in favor of Dr. Abaya, who was considered to be the "sentimental favorite". Miranda's city of Santiago, the largest of the seven local government units in the district with about 60,000 votes, was expected to be the strongest source of votes for her. The mayors of the other towns all supported Aggabao, along with the Dy clan headed by the provincial governor.[5]

These are the candidates in the election:

Result

2003 Isabela's 4th congressional district special election
CandidatePartyVotes%
Lakas–NUCD–UMDP

On election day, people handling Miranda's security were shot by unidentified men riding in motorcycles. The incident was described by the city election officer as "election-related." Other disturbances included the confrontation of

Echague, Cordon and Ramon all went to Aggabao, while Santiago went for Abaya, with Aggabao possessing a large overall margin.[6]

On May 14, 2003, Aggabao was declared winner by the

Dinapigue by 62 votes.[7] Aggabao was sworn into office by Governor Dy right after his proclamation. The tally of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), a COMELEC-accredited watchdog, and Abaya's camp had Abaya winning by 4,969 votes. Abaya had 46,072 votes while Aggabao had 41,103 votes. Aggabao brushed off the accusations, saying that he did not raise a fuss when he was beaten in 1991 and 2001.[8]

Aftermath

Ilagan Bishop Sergio Utleg later issued a pastoral letter alleging the special election was the province's "most fraudulent". The pastoral letter was condemned by the isabela Provincial Board to the "strongest terms" and demanded that the bishop reconsider it.[9] The bishop said, "My pastoral letter, contrary to the claim of the provincial board members, was based on verified facts and testimonies of people involved in the special elections," and reiterated for the nullification of the election results. Election officers of San Isidro and San Agustin claimed that Abaya won in their towns, with San Isidro's vote count for Aggabao surpassing the number of votes cast. COMELEC Chairmen Benjamin Abalos had formed a task force to investigate the alleged irregularities of the vote.[9]

By 2013, Aggabao was in his third term in Congress, after losing to Miranda's brother Anthony in 2004; he won in 2007, and successfully defended his seat on the

2013 election.[10]
Term-limited in 2016, his wife ran and won, defending the seat. Isabela was redistricted in time for the 2019 election, and Aggabao himself was defeated by newcomer Alyssa Sheena Tan.

References

  1. ^ Leon, Marguerite de (2022-10-30). "[OPINION] The special election of the 7th District of Cavite: A welcome development". RAPPLER. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  2. ^ "EXPLAINER. House Speaker Velasco might pick a caretaker for Raul del Mar's seat. Plague and cost-saving, for government and candidates, may be cited against special election". SUNSTAR. 2020-11-18. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  3. ^ "Rep. Antonio Abaya, 68". The Philippine Star. 2003-02-27. Retrieved 2011-11-09.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ "3-WAY FIGHT FOR LATE ISABELA SOLON'S SEAT". Philippine Headline News Online. 2003-03-19. Retrieved 2011-11-09.
  5. ^ "Isabela's fourth district to elect new solon". The Philippine Star. 2003-05-11. Retrieved 2011-11-09.[permanent dead link]
  6. The Manila Bulletin
    . Resource Library. 2003-05-13. Retrieved 2011-11-09.
  7. The Manila Bulletin
    . Resource Library. 2003-05-13. Retrieved 2011-11-09.
  8. ^ "Isabela winner proclaimed amid fraud raps". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Google News. 2003-05-15. Retrieved 2011-11-09.
  9. ^ a b Salatan, Lito (2003-03-31). "Isabela board hits bishop's pastoral letter". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on February 8, 2013. Retrieved 2011-11-09.
  10. ^ "House of Representatives - 15th Congress of the Philippines: Aggabao, Giorgidi B." House of Representatives of the Philippines. Retrieved 2011-11-29.
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