The 

1986 Philippine presidential and vice presidential elections were held on February 7, 1986.
Popularly known as the 1986 snap election, it is among the landmark events that led up to
the People Power Revolution, the downfall of the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos, and the
accession of Corazon C. Aquino as president.

Contents

 1Background
o 1.1Influence of the American media
o 1.2Organizing the 1986 Philippine elections
 2Campaign
 3Results
o 3.1COMELEC tally
 3.1.1President
 3.1.2Vice President
o 3.2NAMFREL tally
 4Aftermath
 5Honored individuals
 6In media
 7See also
 8References
 9External links
o 9.1Radio commercials

Background[edit]
Influence of the American media[edit]
After being dared by an American journalist, President Ferdinand E. Marcos declared a snap
election during an interview on the American Broadcasting Company political affairs
programme, This Week with David Brinkley in November 1985.[1][2][3] On December 3, the Batasang
Pambansa (National Assembly) passed a law setting the date of the election on February 7, 1986.
[4]
 On February 4, 1986, Marcos declared February 6 and 7 as nationwide non-working special public
holidays to "give all registered voters fullest opportunity to exercise their right of suffrage."[5]
The courage and the essential goodness of Corazón Aquino was so impressive in her battle against
enormous odds. And the bravery of her followers— many of whom were killed as they pursued their
belief in a true democracy... And then there was this: the role of the press, print and electronic.
Through television cameras and newspapers, the whole world was watching. President Marcos
could lie and cheat, but in the end he could not hide.[6]

— Tom Brokaw, NBC Nightly News

The assassination of Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. on August 21, 1983, revived the
oppositionist press, and not far behind it did the pro-Marcos press retaliate. Both catered to the
intense news-hunger of the Filipino people, but it was a smaller group of reporters who delivered the
crucial blow to Marcos' image, with rumors circulating about Marcos' hidden wealth and war record.
An example of this would be the article written by Eduardo Lachica in December 1982. It stirred
interest after being published in The Asian Wall Street Journal on the alleged Marcos property
holdings in New York.[6]
By late January 1985, the pursuit for the truth behind the rumors began with Lewis M. Simons, a
Tokyo-based correspondent for the San Jose Mercury News, who sent a memo to his desk editor,
Jonathan Krim. There had been incessant speculations of Philippine "capital flight" that not only
involved Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos themselves, but also government officials and friends of the
first family. Simons provided Krim with a list of names, telling him to look into Philippine investments
in the San Francisco Bay area. Krim handed over several clips (including Lachica's article) and
miscellaneous letters from the Filipino exile community to the investigative reporter attached with a
note, "Look into this." Carey began his paper trail after setting up his personal computer and a
telephone modem as well as using real-estate data bases to acquire both California and out-of-state
records. Another method he used in tracking the story were his interviews with the members of the
Filipino exiled opposition who were divided between those who were resolute in helping him and
those who deemed themselves apolitical, fearing reprisals if they spoke. In an interview, Carey says,
"I kept telling them, 'I'm not interested in quoting people, I'm not going to use yours or any names.
I'm interested in documentary evidence,' That convinced people...." Due to budgetary concerns, he
continued his trail by exploring records in New York and Chicago through telephone. At a later date,
Katherine Ellison from the San Francisco Bureau, who Carey dubs as another "great investigative
reporter," joined the group as they conducted interviews and convinced reluctant locals to provide
essential information.[6]
On June 23–25, 1985, the Mercury News series under the by-lines of Carey, Ellison, and Simons
elicited a staggering response after revealing a list of names, showing how the Filipino elite had
illegally invested millions in the U.S., why real estate conditions made California a prime investment
territory, and how capital flight fueled Philippine insurgency. Meanwhile, local publications in the
Philippines such as Malaya, Veritas, Business Day, and Mr. and Mrs. all reprinted the series. There
were protests on the streets, attempts by the National Assembly's opposition minority to file an
impeachment hearing (which was quickly annulled) while Marcos was forced to order an impartial
inquiry (though it lasted briefly).[6]
The international clamor surprised the three Mercury News investigators with Carey commenting,
"There's a vast difference between simple allegations and something with a factual, documentary
basis," he says. "It provokes a totally different psychological reaction in the readers. Gossip stirs
their apathy; facts galvanize them to action."[6]
After the successful publication of the series, newer articles were produced by the Mercury News
team, among other things, such as how the Manila elitists smuggled fortunes, in the form of
American currency, out of the country. More reporters from The Washington Post, The Wall Street
Journal, and The New York Times developed other angles as well. The most significant were those
uncovered by Times' Jeff Gerth, who wrote on the misuse of American aid money by the Marcos'
administration. Although Marcos continued to deny these allegations, it did little to avert the
consequences. His support in the congress quickly dissipated while news of his misrule endangered
U.S. military interests.[6] Though revelations of Marcos' hidden wealth disparaged him in America, in
the Philippines, it was the truth of his war records that did him in.

Organizing the 1986 Philippine elections[edit]

On November 4, 1985, Sam Donaldson and George Will interviewed President Marcos on the
American Broadcasting Company political affairs program This Week with David Brinkley.[1][2] Marcos
was being asked about his policies and support when, without warning, he announced that he would
hold a snap election on February 7, 1986, a year earlier than the supposed 1987 election. Marcos
said that in the snap election, the vice president would also be determined. Also, the final decision
regarding the election would be determined by the National Assembly. On December 3, 1985, the
Batasang Pambansa passed a law setting the date of the election on February 7, 1986.[4]
Marcos declared the early elections since he believed that this would solidify the support of United
States, silence the protests and criticisms both in the Philippines and the United States, and finally
put the issues regarding the death of Benigno Aquino Jr. to rest.[7]
The opposition saw two problems regarding the announcement of Marcos. First is the credibility of
the announcement since at the time two-thirds of the National Assembly were from Kilusang Bagong
Lipunan, which means that they could decide not to push through with the snap election. This would
then give Marcos an image that he was willing to entertain opposition, which would then contribute to
his popularity. Second problem is that the opposition was yet to choose a single presidential
candidate to who had a chance to win.[7] This posed a problem for them since the opposition were yet
to be united, supporting only one presidential candidate.
The opposition, was divided between the widow of Benigno Aquino Jr., Corazon "Cory" Aquino,
and Doy Laurel, son of President Jose P. Laurel. Cardinal Jaime Sin talked to both the potential
candidates. Aquino was hesitant to run since she believed that she was not the best and most able
choice. Aquino said she would be willing to run if there was a petition campaign with at least a million
signatures supporting her as a presidential candidate. Doy on the other hand, was earnest in running
as president since he believed his family background, training, and experience had prepared him for
the presidency.

Campaign[edit]
The campaign period lasted 45 days, from December 19, 1985, to February 5, 1986.[8][4][9]
As the election campaign continued, Marcos was able to campaign in selected key cities while
Aquino was able to campaign intensively and extensively, even going to remote places from the
north of the Philippines to the south of the Philippines. The Aquino campaign concluded a rally that
is believed to have 800,000 participants wearing yellow in Rizal Park and Roxas Boulevard forming
a "sea of yellow".[10]

Results[edit]
About 85,000 precincts opened at seven o'clock in the morning of Election Day.[11][circular reference] Each
precinct was administered by a Board of Election Inspectors (BEI), which was tasked to oversee
voting. The BEIs did not continuously abide by the stipulated voting procedure, which raised the
impression of fraud.
The voting period was also scheduled to close at three o'clock in the afternoon but was extended to
give way for people who were in line. Counting of the ballots followed and in most precincts was able
to finish by six o'clock in the evening.[9]
Results showed that a huge percentage of eligible electorates did not vote. Out of the 26 million
registered voters, only 20 million ballots were cast. This showed a decreased percentage of voters
from the 1984 election, which had 89% of registered voters cast their ballots, to around 76% during
the snap election.[9]

Number of voters in the 1986 election

Number of registered voters 26,181,829

Actual number of votes canvassed by the

20,150,160
Batasan
 Percentage of actual to registered voters 76.96%

A number of disenfranchised voters were evident during the snap election.

Estimated number of disenfranchised voters[9]

1984 percentage of actual to registered voters 89%

1986 number of voters based on the 1984

23,422,264
percentage

Actual number of votes canvassed by the Batasan 20,150,160

Estimated number of disenfranchised voters 3,272,104

COMELEC tally[edit]
President[edit]

Candidate Party Votes %

Ferdinand
Kilusang Bagong Lipunan 10,807,197 53.62
Marcos

Corazon Aquino United Nationalist Democratic Organization 9,291,716 46.10

Reuben Canoy Social Democratic Party 34,041 0.17

Narciso Padilla Movement for Truth, Order and Righteousness 23,652 0.12

Total 20,156,606 100.00

Valid votes 20,156,606 97.30

 Candidate Party Votes %

Invalid/blank votes 559,469 2.70

Total votes 20,716,075 100.00

Registered voters/turnout 26,278,744 78.83

Source: Annex XXXVIII of the report by the International Observer Delegation

Popular vote
Marcos   53.62%
Aquino   46.10%
Others   0.28%

NAMFREL (partial; 69% of

COMELEC[9]
precincts reported)[12]

Padill
Marcos Aquino Canoy Total Marcos Aquino Total
a

Nationa
l 1,614,66 10,68 1,312,59 1,530,67
1,394,815 794 3,020,958 2,843,270
Capital 2 7 2 8
Region

Region
1,239,825 431,877 282 3,399 1,675,383 578,997 282,506 861,503
I

Region
856,026 139,666 111 381 996,184 188,556 105,934 294,490
II

Region 1,008,15
1,011,860 243 2,268 2,022,528 647,318 761,771 1,409,089
III 7

Region 1,190,804 1,425,14 336 3,831 2,620,114 757,689 995,238 1,752,927

 IV 3

Region
433,809 761,538 258 376 1,195,981 354,784 634,453 989,237
V

Region
902,682 777,312 386 244 1,680,624 582,075 561,177 1,143,252
VI

Region
773,604 827,912 4,012 394 1,605,922 535,363 722,631 1,257,994
VII

Region
627,868 411,284 475 213 1,039,840 527,076 372,179 899,255
VIII

Region
540,570 365,195 3,686 505 909,956 234,064 256,819 490,883
IX

Region
563,547 519,841 8,244 223 1,091,855 293,799 308,751 602,550
X

Region 13,41
609,540 662,799 773 1,286,525 353,413 404,124 757,537
XI 3

Region
662,247 346,330 1,801 358 1,010,736 166,636 222,418 389,054
XII

10,807,19 9,291,71 34,04 23,65 20,156,60 6,532,36 7,158,67 13,691,04

Total
7 6 1 2 6 2 9 1

The COMELEC proclaimed Marcos as the winner,[11][circular reference] receiving more than 1.5 million votes
more than the next contender, Cory Aquino. In the COMELEC's tally, a total of 10,807,197 votes was
for Marcos alone. Conversely, NAMFREL's partial tally had Aquino leading with more than half a
million votes.
Vice President[edit]
 Candidate Party Votes %

Arturo Tolentino Kilusang Bagong Lipunan 10,134,130 50.66

Salvador Laurel United Nationalist Democratic Organization 9,173,105 45.85

Eva Estrada
Liberal Party (Kalaw wing)[a] 662,185 3.31
Kalaw

Roger Arienda Movement for Truth, Order and Righteousness 35,974 0.18

Total 20,005,394 100.00

Valid votes 20,005,394 96.57

Invalid/blank votes 710,681 3.43

Total votes 20,716,075 100.00

Registered voters/turnout 26,278,744 78.83

Source: Annex XXXVIII of the report by the International Observer Delegation

1. ^ Kalaw ran under her own wing of the Liberal Party, while the rest of party supported Laurel's
candidacy.
Popular vote
Tolentino   50.66%
Laurel   45.85%
Others   3.49%

COMELEC[9] NAMFREL[12]

Tolentino Laurel Kalaw Arienda Tolentino Laurel Kalaw

National Capital 1,323,20
1,411,863 1,366,162 219,763 - 1,288,285 231,318
Region 1

Region I 1,173,312 394,255 96,257 - 552,624 246,681 67,111

Region II 825,886 150,538 8,111 - 176,739 102,537 3,879

Region III 984,045 920,095 104,957 - 664,601 741,294 91,386

Region IV 853,600 1,691,011 58,524 - 504,364 1,221,014 44,349

Region V 388,961 774,336 25,654 - 328,526 653,025 23,772

Region VI 814,910 783,183 56,910 - 542,428 573,447 44,362

Region VII 790,432 799,565 7,571 - 552,760 694,377 7,296

Region VIII 606,648 403,660 21,931 - 506,552 377,735 22,243

Region IX 531,457 359,502 5,192 - 233,765 252,371 4,843

Region X 552,528 519,502 7,451 - 397,572 421,107 7,543

Region XI 599,462 635,701 37,640 - 422,444 464,813 33,565

Region XII 601,020 375,595 12,224 - 179,717 213,239 7,922

6,385,29
Total 10,134,124 9,173,105 662,185 35,974 7,249,925 589,589
3

NAMFREL tally[edit]
 Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (New Society
Ferdinand Marcos 6,532,362 -
Movement)

Corazon Aquino United Nationalist Democratic Organization 7,158,679 –

Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (New Society

Arturo Tolentino 6,385,293 –
Movement)

Salvador Laurel United Nationalist Democratic Organization 7,249,925 –

Eva Estrada Kalaw Liberal (Kalaw Wing) 589,589 –