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1955 Philippine Senate election

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1955 Philippine general election

← 1953 November 8, 1955 1957 →

8 (of the 24) seats in the Senate and 1 mid-term vacancy
13 seats needed for a majority
  Majority party Minority party
 
Leader Eulogio Rodriguez Diosdado Macapagal (lost)
Party Nacionalista Liberal
Seats before 15 4
Seats after 21 0
Seat change Increase 6 Decrease 4
Popular vote 18,422,368 8,968,978
Percentage 67.18% 32.71%
Swing Increase 27.35% Decrease 3.26%

Senate President before election

Eulogio Rodriguez
Nacionalista

Elected Senate President

Eulogio Rodriguez
Nacionalista

A senatorial election in the Philippines was held on November 8, 1955. This was a midterm election, the date when the winners took office falling halfway through President Ramon Magsaysay's four-year term.

Summary

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Since Magsaysay was very popular midway through his term, there were 10 candidates who ran under the Nacionalista banner. His adoptive Nacionalista Party continued to grow in strength with the absorption of their erstwhile coalition partner, the Democratic Party; but a pillar of the NP could not hide his opposition to the president. Senator Claro M. Recto, one of those who actively sought the adoption of the former Defense Secretary into the NP fold in 1953, had grown critical of Magsaysay, calling him a “banana dictator” and “American puppet,” among other unflattering names. In retaliation, Magsaysay refused the inclusion of Recto into the NP Senate slate of 1955, prompting the Batangueño leader to seek support for his candidacy with the Liberals.

Though Lorenzo Tañada of the NCP had cooperated with the NP in 1953, Recto became the first “guest candidate” in Philippine electoral history, when he was included in the Liberal Party lineup but did not resign his membership as a Nacionalista.[1]

Special elections

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There was a special election held for the vacant seat of Senator Carlos P. Garcia after he won as Vice President in 1953. Roseller T. Lim won and served the unexpired term of Garcia from 1955 to 1957.

Retiring incumbents

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Liberal Party

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  1. Tomas Cabili
  2. Justiniano Montano

Mid-term vacancies

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  1. Esteban Abada (Liberal), died on December 17, 1954
  2. Carlos P. Garcia (Nacionalista), elected vice president, left office on December 30, 1953

Results

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The Nacionalista Party won all eight seats contested in the general election, and won the one seat contested in the special election.

Nacionalistas Quintin Paredes, Claro M. Recto, Lorenzo Sumulong both defended their Senate seats. Paredes and Sumulong were former Liberals who ran as Nacionalistas in this election. The two Liberal senators who defended their seats were defeated: Enrique Magalona and Macario Peralta.

Five winners are neophyte Nacionalista senators: Decoroso Rosales, Domocao Alonto, Francisco "Soc" Rodrigo, Pacita Madrigal-Warns, and Pedro Sabido. Madrigal-Warns became the only woman in the Senate.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Before election ‡^ ‡^
Election result Not up NP Not up
After election + + + + + +

Key:

  • ‡ Seats up
  • + Gained by a party from another party
  • √ Held by the incumbent
  • * Held by the same party with a new senator
  • ^ Vacancy

Per candidate (general election)

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CandidatePartyVotes%
Pacita Madrigal-WarnsNacionalista Party2,544,71650.43
Lorenzo SumulongNacionalista Party2,250,78044.60
Quintin ParedesNacionalista Party2,171,41543.03
Soc RodrigoNacionalista Party2,132,09442.25
Pedro SabidoNacionalista Party1,821,09836.09
Claro M. RectoNacionalista Party[a]1,716,98434.02
Domocao AlontoNacionalista Party1,619,10932.08
Decoroso RosalesNacionalista Party1,600,25531.71
Diosdado MacapagalLiberal Party1,454,20028.82
Juan ChiocoNacionalista Party1,452,69328.79
Camilo OsíasLiberal Party1,388,13727.51
Geronima PecsonLiberal Party1,340,80026.57
Macario Peralta Jr.Liberal Party1,207,49523.93
Enrique MagalonaLiberal Party1,086,05421.52
Pio PedrosaLiberal Party919,30218.22
William ChiongbianLiberal Party884,07717.52
Alfredo AbcedeFederal Party22,7690.45
Concepcion R. Lim de PlanasNacionalista Party10,2450.20
Vicente A. RafaelIndependent4,5510.09
Filemon BlayIndependent1,1790.02
Praxedes FloroIndependent1,0810.02
Total25,629,034100.00
Total votes5,046,488
Registered voters/turnout6,487,06177.79
  1. ^ Guest candidate of the Liberal Party

Special election

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One seat was up for election to fill its vacancy created by Carlos P. Garcia's election as vice president in 1953. Unlike the regular election, this is held under the first past the post system.

CandidatePartyVotes%
Roseller T. LimNacionalista Party1,102,97961.40
Simeon ToribioLiberal Party688,91338.35
Avelino P. GarciaIndependent4,3780.24
Total1,796,270100.00
Valid votes1,796,27035.59
Invalid/blank votes3,250,21864.41
Total votes5,046,488
Registered voters/turnout6,487,06177.79

Per party

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This includes the result of the special election.

PartyVotes%+/–Seats
UpBeforeWonAfter+/−
Nacionalista Party18,422,36867.18+27.35317923+6
Liberal Party8,968,97832.71−3.264400−4
Federal Party22,7690.08+0.0600000
Independent6,8110.02+0.0100000
Citizens Party01010
Vacant2100−1
Total27,420,926100.009249240
Total votes5,046,488
Registered voters/turnout6,487,06177.79
Source: Dieter Nohlen; Florian Grotz; Christof Hartmann; Graham Hassall; Soliman M. Santos (15 November 2001).
Elections in Asia and the Pacific: A Data Handbook: Volume II: South East Asia, East Asia, and the South Pacific
. ISBN 9780199249596.

& Julio Teehankee. "Electoral Politics in the Philippines" (PDF). quezon.ph.
Vote share
NP
67.18%
LP
32.71%
Others
0.10%
Senate seats
NP
100.0%
LP
0.0%
Others
0.0%

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Philippine Electoral Almanac. The Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office. 2013. p. 28. Archived from the original on 2014-04-09.
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