2001 Philippine vice presidential confirmation
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On January 20, 2001, President Joseph Estrada was overthrown by the peaceful Second EDSA Revolution (EDSA II). Vice president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was sworn in as the fourteenth president of the Philippines, leaving the office of the vice president vacant. According to Article VII, Section 9 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, a vacancy in the vice presidency is filled by presidential nomination from among the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives, subject to confirmation by a majority vote of all members of each chamber voting separately.
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February 7, 2001
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24 and 257 members of the Senate and House Majority of both Senate and House votes needed to win | |||||||||||||||||
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On February 6, 2001, Arroyo announced in a televised speech her nomination of Senate minority leader Teofisto Guingona Jr. as vice president.[1] Other candidates she considered included Senate president Aquilino Pimentel Jr., and senators Franklin Drilon, Raul Roco, Loren Legarda, and Ramon Magsaysay Jr. Arroyo later stated that her choice would come from Mindanao, narrowing the selection to Guingona and Pimentel, before ultimately selecting Guingona as her nominee.[2]
Confirmation votes
With 18 votes, the Senate confirmed the nomination of Teofisto Guingona Jr.[b][3][4] Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Juan Ponce Enrile, and John Henry Osmeña voted in the affirmative, although with reservations, pending the Supreme Court’s ruling on the legitimacy of Arroyo’s presidency. Senators Tessie Aquino-Oreta and Robert Barbers were noted to be absent during the vote.[1] The House of Representatives unanimously confirmed Guingona's nomination,[5] although Maguindanao's first district representative Didagen Dilangalen expressed dissent (despite not objecting to the motion to confirm made by South Cotabato's 1st district representative Luwalhati Antonino), stating he would block the confirmation as he considered Arroyo an acting president, and that there is no vacancy in the vice presidency.[3][2]
Despite this, the Senate confirmed Guingona’s nomination through Resolution No. 82, while the House approved it through Resolution No. 178. Guingona took his oath of office on February 9, 2001, as the eleventh vice president of the Philippines.
| 2001 Philippine Senate Vice presidential confirmation vote: |
Total votes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Yes | 18 (94.74%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstention | 1 (5.26%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Result: Confirmed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 2001 Philippine House Vice presidential confirmation vote: |
Total votes |
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| Yes | 140 (100.00%)[a] |
| Result: Confirmed | |
Notes
- The motion to confirm Guingona's nomination was approved without objection. The total of votes reflects the number of representatives who responded to the roll call during the session, based on congressional records.
- Two Senate seats were vacant at the time of the vote:
- Marcelo Fernan died on July 11, 1999, 2 years before the end of his senatorial term.
- Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was elected vice president in 1998.