Grace Poe to deliver speech on 'fraudulent' 2004 polls

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Grace Poe will deliver a privilege speech on Wednesday to recall the alleged cheating in the 2004 presidential elections that led to the defeat of her late father, actor Fernando Poe Jr.

A statement posted on the Senate website said Poe's speech is expected to raise the critical issues on electoral reforms and accountability.

"Sen. Grace Poe is set to deliver a privilege speech on Wednesday (May 28) to mark the 10th year since the fraudulent 2004 presidential elections which cheated Fernando Poe Jr. of millions of votes and thwarted the will of the electorate," the statement said.

In the 2004 elections, Poe's father sought the presidency and obtained 11,782,232 votes, losing to then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who got 12,905,808 votes.

After the polls, the "Hello Garci" tapes surfaced and revealed the wiretapped conversations between a woman believed to be Arroyo and a poll official believed to be then Comelec commissioner Virgilio "Garci" Garcillano.

The conversations supposedly discussed how the 2004 poll results in Mindanao were rigged in favor of Arroyo.

Arroyo eventually apologized for talking to a Comelec official but did not confirm whether hers was the voice in the recordings.

The former president and now Pampanga congresswoman is still on hospital arrest at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center for a plunder case involving the alleged misuse of funds from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.