Legarda: 2013 poll tally should have been the outcome of 2004 presidential vote

Sen. Loren Legarda. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Call it 2004 redux.

Senator Loren Legarda said Tuesday the partial results of the May 13 senatorial elections reflect what should have been the outcome of the 2004 presidential election.

Grace Poe, daughter of the late presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr., pulled a surprise when she landed first place in the initial and unofficial canvassing of the votes beginning Monday night.

“Remember FPJ-Loren?” Legarda asked in a phone interview with Inquirer.

The senator was referring to her team-up with Grace’s father (FPJ) when she was his running mate in the 2004 elections under the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino.

Some believe that the elder Poe and Legarda won that election, allegedly characterized by cheating, over President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Vice President Noli de Castro.

“If you look at the results, Grace is No. 1, I am No. 2 and (Francis) Chiz (Escudero) who was the spokesperson of FPJ is No. 3,” Legarda said. All three are Senate bets of the Liberal Party-backed Team PNoy.

“And the winning line-up also has a Binay,” she said, referring to Nancy Binay of the United Nationalist Alliance who unofficial tallies show at No. 5.

“Remember that her father (then Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay) was our campaign manager in 2004,” Legarda said.

Legarda sounded chirpy despite being displaced from the covered top spot in the senatorial race.

Legarda earlier complained that a fellow senatorial candidate in Team PNoy has been working to dislodge her from the No. 1 spot.

Legarda said she immediately called Grace Poe once the unofficial tallies showed her safely ensconced in the top spot in the Senate race.

“Grace was very humble.  I told her she deserved it.  Her win is a vindication of her late father’s fight,” Legarda said.

Grace was quoted in media interviews as saying that her ranking in the partial tally was a surprise to her.

She even cautioned Radyo Inquirer 990AM against congratulating her prematurely, saying the official count was not yet over.

“Nagulat ako talaga na nag-number one ako. Wala atang nag-akala n’yan (I was really surprised I made No. 1. Nobody expected that),” she said in a radio interview.