How influential is the religious vote?

Despite the separation of church and state, the power of the religious sector has always been regarded as a crucial factor that could influence the results of elections in the country. Known to command the votes of their flock, religious groups have in the past actively endorsed candidates. Gaining the support of religious organizations can spell victory for a candidate. Two of the more prominent religious groups that have been wooed by politicians in past elections are the Iglesia ni Cristo and the El Shaddai, both known to deliver "block votes." While one may argue whether or not the Roman Catholic Church can still influence its faithful on how to choose candidates, politicians continue to recognize its influence as reflected on many candidates' position in the issue of birth control. Up to what extent has the so-called religious vote influenced elections in the past? 2004 An exit poll conducted by the Social Weather Stations during the 2004 presidential elections showed how solid the INC vote is. INC's voting strength at the time was estimated at 3 percent. This means that out of the more than 33.5 million registered voters who cast their votes in 2004, about one million are members of INC. Shortly before the elections, the INC leadership announced its endorsement of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's candidacy. This endorsement was largely reflected in the polls. Of the one million INC voters, 74% voted for Arroyo who went on to win the presidential race; 10% voted for Mrs Arroyo's closest rival, Fernando Poe Jr; while 1% voted for Panfilo Lacson. Of those polled by SWS, 15% declined to answer. On the other hand, charismatic group El Shaddai — who also endorsed Mrs Arroyo's presidential bid — did not quite deliver the votes for its anointed candidate. Based on the SWS exit survey, El Shaddai voters went against their leaders' endorsement and instead expressed preference for FPJ who gathered an estimated 53% of the El Shaddai votes. A mere 23% of El Shaddai voters followed their leaders' endorsement, while another 16% voted for Lacson. For its part, leaders of the Roman Catholic Church did not endorse any candidate. Instead, church leaders put forth three criteria and advised its flock to weigh the candidates based on these categories. In a pastoral letter, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines urged voters to choose candidates with: - competence in terms of leadership experience, professional qualifications and a track record of governance; - personal integrity, transparency, accountability and respect for human rights; and commitment to a vision and program of action on key issues such as family and life, environment, illegal drugs and gambling, justice, peace and order, poverty alleviation, and education. In the actual polls, members of the catholic organization Couples for Christ registered the following vote: 53% for Arroyo and 22% for FPJ. 1998 Earlier exit polling conducted by the SWS in 1998 established a trend in voting behavior of religious groups. Based on the survey, 81% of INC members voted for Joseph Estrada, who was endorsed by the group's leaders. Despite a strong endorsement of El Shaddai's leaders for Estrada, the group delivered a lukewarm 39% of its members' votes for the former actor. On the other hand, 37% of Roman Catholic voters supported Estrada, even as church leaders quietly supported another aspirant, Alfredo Lim, who obtained only 9.8% of the Roman Catholic vote. In Monday's mid-term elections, some politicians gained the support of some religious groups. The outcome of the polls will now determine whether these commitments of support are translated into numbers. - GMANews.TV