2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 1: vs. New York Giants
Rookie Giant quarterback Eli Manning was put in the game for New York's last possession, but he was rocked hard by the Eagles' defense as he was christened into the NFL. McNabb threw for 330 yards and four scores, while Owens did not disappoint in his Philadelphia debut, hauling in three touchdowns. The only negative for the Eagles was the loss of rookie starting offensive guard Shawn Andrews.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 2: vs. Minnesota Vikings
weather= 63 °F (Clear)A Monday Night Football matchup against the Minnesota Vikings was touted as a potential playoff preview. A war of words between outspoken receivers Terrell Owens and Randy Moss dominated the media coverage during the week prior to the game. A 22-yard reception by Moss helped Minnesota take a 3–0 early lead. Donovan McNabb marched the Eagles down the field on their first possession and finished the drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass to L.J. Smith.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 2: vs. Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings drove the ball and had first and goal from the Eagles' 2-yard line, but the defense made a goal-line stand, holding the Vikings to another field goal. David Akers capped the Eagles' next possession with a 37-yard field goal, making it 10–6 Philadelphia. Later in the quarter, the Vikings again had first and goal from the Eagles 2-yard line, but linebacker Mark Simoneau met Daunte Culpepper at the goal line and stripped him, with Brian Dawkins recovering the fumble. McNabb bootlegged for a 20-yard touchdown in the third quarter to give the Eagles breathing room.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 2: vs. Minnesota Vikings
Morten Andersen kicked his third field goal to make it 17–9. However, McNabb found Owens deep for a 34-yard touchdown, increasing the Philadelphia lead to 24–9. Moss scored a late-touchdown on a short fade route, but the night belonged to the Eagles. McNabb passed for 245 yards and two scores, while running for another, and the defense allowed only one touchdown to the highly regarded Minnesota offense. The 27–16 win allowed Philadelphia to seize early control of their division and established them as the team to beat in the NFC.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 3: at Detroit Lions
With two home wins under their belt, the Eagles played their first away game of the year at Ford Field against the lowly Detroit Lions. The Eagles broke through during the first quarter when Donovan McNabb arced a 48-yard bomb to third receiver Freddie Mitchell setting up a first and goal. McNabb finished the drive with a 1-yard quarterback sneak. After recovering a Detroit fumble, McNabb hit Terrell Owens in stride for a 29-yard score. The next touchdown was scored by long-snapper/tight end Mike Bartrum on a 1-yard pass, his first touchdown since 2001, making it 21–0 Eagles. Emerging Detroit receiver Roy Williams had two touchdown receptions over the rest of the game, but three second half field goals by David Akers kept the score a lopsided 30–13. McNabb had 356 passing yards, with Owens owning 107 of those yards.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 4: at Chicago Bears
Playing in extraordinarily windy conditions at Soldier Field, the Eagles air attack was somewhat hindered in its 19–9 win over the Chicago Bears. David Akers, facing his most challenging conditions of the season, connected on a 51-yard field goal in the first quarter. He made another field goal in the second quarter to double Philadelphia's lead to 6–0. Capitalizing on a turnover, Donovan McNabb hit his favorite target Terrell Owens for an 11-yard touchdown in the second quarter. With another Akers field goal, the Eagles led 16–0.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 4: at Chicago Bears
The Bears got on the board with a field goal before the half ended, but Akers' fourth field goal made it 19–3. Akers missed his next two field goals in the increasingly windy conditions, but the Eagles hung on for the 19–9 victory. Brian Westbrook had a career-high 23 rushes for 115 yards and Owens caught his sixth touchdown in just four games. With the victory, the Eagles completed a four-game sweep of their schedule preceding their Week 5 bye.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 6: vs. Carolina Panthers
weather= 56 °F (Mostly Cloudy)Undefeated and fresh off of an early season bye, the Eagles sought to take revenge against a wounded Carolina Panthers team that had beaten them in the 2003 NFC Championship Game. A long kick return by J.R. Reed set up a 48-yard field goal by David Akers to begin things for the Eagles. A 53-yard catch and run to Terrell Owens led to a 1-yard plunge by veteran running back Dorsey Levens. Another long completion to Owens set the stage for another field goal, and it was 13–0 Eagles.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 6: vs. Carolina Panthers
Akers kicked his third field goal in the third quarter before Lito Sheppard's exciting 64-yard interception return for a touchdown. Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme, who was picked off four times by the Eagles defense, threw a late-touchdown to Muhsin Muhammad. However, Brian Westbrook answered right back with a 42-yard scamper to the end zone, his first touchdown of the year, which made it 30–8. Despite failing to catch a touchdown reception for the first time all season, Owens had 123 receiving yards and the Eagles were 5–0.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 7: at Cleveland Browns
After five relatively easy wins, the Eagles were drawn into a dogfight against the Cleveland Browns. The Browns were led by quarterback Jeff Garcia, former teammate to Terrell Owens. The Eagles roared to an early lead when Donovan McNabb completed a 65-yard bomb to Todd Pinkston before a 10-yard strike to veteran tight end Chad Lewis. Cleveland answered the Eagles with a touchdown, but McNabb struck quickly again on his next possession by tossing a 39-yard touchdown to Owens, who fired the football at a Cleveland fan's sign accusing him of having body odor.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 7: at Cleveland Browns
After a Browns field goal, McNabb found Owens again, this time for 40 yards, and this time with Owens pulling down a sign which implied he was a homosexual. The Eagles were up 21–10, but the Browns did not quit, scoring before the half ended on a Lee Suggs touchdown and after the half on a Garcia touchdown pass to Steve Heiden. Suddenly, the Browns were leading 24–21, the first time the Eagles had trailed in the second half all season.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 7: at Cleveland Browns
Early in the fourth, McNabb found L.J. Smith in the end zone to retake the lead and after Cleveland fumbled the kickoff, David Akers booted a 38-yarder to make it 31–24. However, the resilient Garcia rushed it into the end zone himself with less than a minute left in regulation, sending the game into overtime. In the overtime, both teams punted before the Eagles, helped by a 28-yard McNabb scramble, got into field goal range. With five minutes left in the overtime, Akers barely cleared the uprights on a 50-yard game-winning kick. McNabb had 376 passing yards and four touchdowns, while Owens and Pinkston each collected over 100 receiving yards. The Eagles went to 6–0 and continued to pull away from the rest of the conference. This was the Eagles first 6–0 start since 1981.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 8: vs. Baltimore Ravens
weather= 75 °F (Sunny)The Eagles put their undefeated record on the line at home against the Baltimore Ravens. In what had become a weekly event, controversial receiver Terrell Owens had a war of words in the days leading up to the game, this time against Ravens superstar linebacker Ray Lewis. The game would prove to be a battle between the dominating Philadelphia and Baltimore defenses. Almost right off the bat, Deion Sanders was hit hard by Eagles defenders as he flipped over one and was hit in midair.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 8: vs. Baltimore Ravens
After getting good field position, David Akers put the Eagles up with a short field goal, but the Ravens matched that before the end of the quarter. A Donovan McNabb fumble near the Baltimore goal line erased a possible scoring chance in the second quarter, but he drove the team to a field goal on the Eagles' next possession. The defenses dominated the third quarter, and the score remained a close 6–3 as the final quarter began. Akers added a field goal early in the quarter, but the Ravens remained less than a touchdown behind.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 8: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Ravens running back Chester Taylor fumbled in Eagles territory, with Hollis Thomas making the recovery. The Eagles took advantage, ending the possession in an 11-yard third down touchdown pass to Owens, who broke a tackle on his way to the score. The two-point conversion failed, but it was now 15–3 Eagles. The points proved necessary as Kyle Boller completed a touchdown to Daniel Wilcox on Baltimore's next possession. The Philadelphia defense held strong the rest of the game and the Eagles won by a final of 15–10. Owens again had over 100 yards, and scored his ninth touchdown of the year. The Eagles, at 7–0, were off to their best start ever.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 9: at Pittsburgh Steelers
In a possible Super Bowl preview, the 7–0 Eagles travelled across the state to take on the 6–1 Pittsburgh Steelers, who had just knocked off the defending champion New England Patriots. However, the Eagles would not have one of their better days in this major test. The Steelers scored early and often, driving two touchdowns on their first three drives. In a rare 21–0 hole, the Eagles offense could only muster a field goal before the end of the half.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 9: at Pittsburgh Steelers
The offense continued to sputter in the second half, and the Steelers fed the Eagles a steady diet of Jerome Bettis rushes. The final score was an embarrassing 27–3. The Eagles high-octane offense only mustered 113 yards, while the Pittsburgh ground attack amassed 252 yards. Making matters worse, a frustrated Terrell Owens was caught on camera yelling at quarterback Donovan McNabb. After the game, Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson made Jeremiah Trotter the Eagles' starting middle linebacker in an effort to better defend against the run.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 10: at Dallas Cowboys
In a Monday Night Football game that is probably more remembered for a controversial pre-game promotion featuring Terrell Owens and Desperate Housewives actress Nicollette Sheridan, the Eagles avenged their loss to the Steelers by throttling the Dallas Cowboys in Texas Stadium 49–21. On the first play of their third possession, Donovan McNabb completed a pass over the middle to Owens. The two nearest Cowboy defenders ran into each other, freeing Owens to run for a 59-yard touchdown.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 10: at Dallas Cowboys
A muffed punt put the Eagles in position to score their second touchdown on a 4-yard run by Dorsey Levens in the second quarter. A touchdown reception by Dallas tight end Jason Witten cut the Philadelphia lead to 14–7 as the game turned into a shootout. McNabb completed another touchdown to Owens, and then a 59-yarder to Todd Pinkston for Pinkston's first score of the season. Cowboys quarterback Vinny Testaverde found Witten again a few minutes later, making it 28–14 Philadelphia.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 10: at Dallas Cowboys
On the next Eagles' possession, McNabb, in a famous play, scrambled for a record 14.1 seconds before launching a 60-yard bomb to Freddie Mitchell. The drive ended in a 1-yard Brian Westbrook run, padding the Eagles' lead to 35–14. Dallas running back Eddie George scored on the Cowboys' first possession of the third quarter, keeping Dallas in the game. But they would not score again, while McNabb and Owens hooked up for another touchdown.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 10: at Dallas Cowboys
In the fourth quarter, Lito Sheppard intercepted Testaverde in the end zone and went the distance, returning the pick 101 yards for a touchdown as he outran Cowboy receiver Keyshawn Johnson. Owens had his biggest game as an Eagle, catching six passes for 134 yards and three touchdowns. McNabb's equally fantastic season continued with 345 passing yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions. The Eagles went to 8–1, with a division title already in sight.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 11: vs. Washington Redskins
weather= 54 °F (Cloudy)In Week 11, the Eagles faced the Washington Redskins for the first time all season. Using a steady rushing attack, the Redskins opened the scoring with a 35-yard Ola Kimrin field goal. The Eagles answered back with a touchdown – a 2-yard pass to a wide open Chad Lewis in the end zone. The Redskins got another field goal to make it 7–6, keeping pace with an Eagles team that had a sluggish first half.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 11: vs. Washington Redskins
In the third quarter, the Eagles put together an impressive drive that ended with Donovan McNabb firing a bullet over the middle to Terrell Owens in the end zone. Brian Westbrook added two short yardage receiving touchdowns in the fourth quarter, breaking the game open and making the final score 28–6, prompting the Redskins to accuse the Eagles of running up the score after the game. It was not the Eagles' best offense performance, but McNabb, who fumbled and was intercepted, threw four touchdowns. Overshadowed receiver Todd Pinkston had 106 receiving yards, which led the team.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 12: at New York Giants
The 9–1 Eagles travelled up the New Jersey Turnpike to take on the New York Giants on November 28, 2004. Eli Manning's 50-yard bomb to Jamaar Taylor allowed New York to take a first quarter lead after a field goal. Donovan McNabb took it in himself as the Eagles' answered with a touchdown. Steve Christie got another field goal in the second quarter, and it was a 7–6 game. McNabb was sacked and fumbled near midfield on the Eagles' next possession. Manning promptly arced another rocket to Taylor, putting the ball on the Philadelphia 3-yard line.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 12: at New York Giants
On the next play, Manning underthrew a fade to the end zone and rookie Quintin Mikell made a clutch interception. The game was still tight as the second half began, but the Eagles defense would not allow the Giants to score again. Philadelphia used a 24-yard reception by Terrell Owens to set up a 47-yard David Akers field goal. Then, a Brian Dawkins interception of Manning led to another field goal, pushing the Philadelphia lead to 13–6.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 12: at New York Giants
Later in the quarter, Jevon Kearse blocked a New York punt, and the offense was able to capitalize, with Brian Westbrook taking it in from 1-yard out, and putting the Eagles ahead 20–6. Early in the fourth quarter, Westbrook took a screen from McNabb and rumbled 34 yards to paydirt, breaking the game open at 27–6. Westbrook had 127 combined yards and both a rushing and receiving touchdown. The defense gave up 110 yards to Tiki Barber and two long Manning-Taylor passes, but otherwise kept the Giants muzzled, while making key interceptions. With the victory, the Eagles locked up an NFC East division title earlier than any team had before. They had also won their tenth game quicker than any team in franchise history.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 13: vs. Green Bay Packers
The Eagles turned in perhaps their best performance of the entire season when the 7–4 Green Bay Packers, who had won six straight, traveled to Lincoln Financial Field ready for revenge after their heartbreaking playoff loss from the previous season. Instead, the game was never competitive at all. The Eagles offense completely gashed the Packers' defense, and Brett Favre could do nothing with the stubborn Eagles' defense. Donovan McNabb continued his hot streak from the previous week's win against the Giants.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 13: vs. Green Bay Packers
Having completed his last 10 pass attempts of that game, and his first 14 attempts against the Packers, McNabb became the sole owner of the record for most consecutive passes complete – with 24 over two games. In the first quarter, Terrell Owens broke a tackle and raced away for a 41-yard touchdown. In the second quarter, Donovan McNabb fed Brian Westbrook a short pass that Westbrook took in for a score. On the next series, Westbrook lined up in the slot and beat the coverage as he reeled in a 41-yard touchdown reception.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 13: vs. Green Bay Packers
McNabb gave L.J. Smith a turn on the next possession, completing a 6-yard touchdown to him. Dexter Wynn made a big punt return later in the quarter, leading to McNabb finding Westbrook over the middle. It was Westbrook's third touchdown of the quarter, and McNabb's fifth of the half – and the Eagles were leading the Packers 35–0 with time left in second quarter. Green Bay got a field goal before halftime. However, long completions by McNabb to Owens and Westbrook led to three third-quarter field goals by David Akers.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 13: vs. Green Bay Packers
A 45-yard run by Dorsey Levens set up Akers' fourth field goal at the start of the final quarter, which made it 47–3. Packers' backup quarterback Craig Nall led Green Bay to two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter, long after the Eagles had called off the dogs. The win was an example of just how good the Eagles were. The Packers won their division that season, but were totally dismantled by Philadelphia. The Eagles offense clicked on all cylinders, with McNabb recording five touchdowns passes and a team-record 464 passing yards.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 13: vs. Green Bay Packers
Owens and Westbrook both had over 150 receiving yards. Meanwhile, the Eagles defense registered five sacks and held the Packers' offense to three points while the starters remained in. The win put the Eagles at 11–1 and proved conclusively that they were light years ahead of the rest of the conference.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 14: at Washington Redskins
A mere three weeks after pasting the Washington Redskins at home, the Eagles traveled to play them in a Sunday night game at FedExField. The Redskins were fired up all night, and Ladell Betts took the opening kickoff inside the Eagles 10-yard line. Two plays later Clinton Portis rushed it in for an early Washington lead. On a drive highlighted by receiver Todd Pinkston seemingly breaking off a route to shy away from a hit, the Eagles managed to score a game-tying  touchdown with L.J. Smith making a 2-yard reception after a long pass interference penalty against Washington.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 14: at Washington Redskins
At the end of the quarter, McNabb launched his longest pass of the season, an 80-yard bomb to Pinkston, which he caught before stumbling up to the four-yard line. Owens caught the next pass and tried to make a move to score his 15th touchdown of the year, but instead lost the football. Each side would miss a field goal before halftime arrived with the score knotted 7–7.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 14: at Washington Redskins
The Eagles posted a 38-yard field goal by David Akers on the opening drive of the third quarter, then got a short Dorsey Levens touchdown at the end of the quarter, putting Philadelphia ahead 17–7. However, the Redskins defense intercepted McNabb near midfield, and Portis finished the drive with his second touchdown, making it a 17–14 game. With only a few minutes left, Washington quarterback Patrick Ramsey drove his team to the Eagles' 27-yard line.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 14: at Washington Redskins
His next pass was to the end zone, and both Brian Dawkins and Lito Sheppard had a play on the ball, but Sheppard prudently allowed Dawkins to make the interception and end the Redskin threat. It was not the Eagles' prettiest game, but they survived a scare and escaped with another victory, improving their overall record to 12–1.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 15: vs. Dallas Cowboys
weather= 39 °F (Light rain)After their scoring fest in Week 10, the Eagles and Dallas Cowboys played a defensive struggle in a Week 15 game that would mean home-field advantage throughout the playoffs if the Eagles were to win. The teams had long drives, but could not get into field goal range in the first quarter. In the second, the Eagles broke through with a drive capped by a 2-yard touchdown pass from Donovan McNabb to Chad Lewis. David Akers missed the extra point, making it a 6–0 game.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 15: vs. Dallas Cowboys
McNabb was later sacked and fumbled the ball away to Dallas, with Vinny Testaverde taking advantage by firing a 7-yard touchdown pass to Keyshawn Johnson. The missed extra point now seemed more critical as the Eagles trailed 7–6 going into halftime. On the opening drive of the third quarter, McNabb found his favorite target, Terrell Owens for a 20-yard gain, but Dallas safety Roy Williams, made a horse-collar tackle on Owens, breaking his ankle. The play would prompt a new NFL rule the next season, barring horse-collar tackles.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 15: vs. Dallas Cowboys
McNabb was intercepted two plays later and again later in the quarter as neither offense could score. Cowboys kicker Billy Cundiff missed a 46-yarder in the fourth quarter, giving the Eagles new life. McNabb, going back to one of his old tricks in the absence of Owens, made scrambles of 12 yards and 19 yards, setting up an eventual Dorsey Levens touchdown run from 2 yards out. The two-point conversion failed and it remained 12–7 Eagles. However, Lito Sheppard picked off Testaverde on the next series to end the game.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 15: vs. Dallas Cowboys
Proving again that they could win a close game, the Eagles prevailed under adversity and in improving their record to 13–1, completed a sweep of their NFC East opponents while locking up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Unfortunately, the word after the game was that Owens, the Eagles' sharpest offensive weapon, would be out until at least the Super Bowl.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 16: at St. Louis Rams
With nothing left to play for until the playoffs and in the wake of the disastrous injury to Terrell Owens, Eagles' head coach Andy Reid decided to only play his starters for one series in a Monday Night Football game against the St. Louis Rams. The Rams ran ten rushing plays,  split between Steven Jackson and Marshall Faulk, in the opening drive as they scored a touchdown. The Eagles offense, also playing without Brian Westbrook who was a healthy scratch,  efficiently marched down the field, with Freddie Mitchell, who was now a starter, receiving a 7-yard touchdown pass from McNabb.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 16: at St. Louis Rams
At that point, most of the Eagles' starters left the game. The second-string Philadelphia defense limited a St. Louis team that needed the game to help secure a playoff spot. The Rams offense only scored 20 points, but backup quarterbacks Koy Detmer and Jeff Blake could do little to score on St. Louis.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Game Summaries, Week 17: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
weather= 45 °F (Cloudy)The 7–8 Cincinnati Bengals rolled over the Philadelphia reserve players. Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook were among the many starters that did not play for the Eagles, who were clearly preparing for a run to the Super Bowl. Koy Detmer and Jeff Blake were again mostly unimpressive while Bengals running back Rudi Johnson torched the Eagles' backup defense for three touchdowns to give Cincinnati a 38–3 lead by the middle of the fourth quarter. Blake was able to connect with Freddie Mitchell, who had six catches for 76 yards, for a touchdown late. Meanwhile, Terrell Owens continued to rehab his ankle, guaranteeing that if the Eagles made it to the Super Bowl, he would be ready to play in it. The Eagles, not trying to win their last two games, finished with a franchise best 13–3 record.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Playoffs, Divisional Playoffs: vs. Minnesota Vikings
weather= 32 °F (Sunny)With expectations high, the Eagles' playoff run began with the Minnesota Vikings coming to town. Minnesota had backed into the playoffs with an 8–8 record and losses in four of their final five regular season games, but they had upset the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Playoffs, Divisional Playoffs: vs. Minnesota Vikings
On the Eagles' second possession, Brian Westbrook, who had missed the 2003–2004 playoffs with an injury, gained 48 total yards, setting up Donovan McNabb's two-yard touchdown pass to Freddie Mitchell. At the end of the quarter, McNabb found third receiver Greg Lewis for a 52-yard completion. Two plays later, Westbrook caught a short pass over the middle and put Philadelphia up 14–0. A long completion to Marcus Robinson by Daunte Culpepper led to a quarterback bootleg for a touchdown, keeping Minnesota in the game.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Playoffs, Divisional Playoffs: vs. Minnesota Vikings
J.R. Reed returned the kickoff into Viking territory, and a few plays later, McNabb hit L.J. Smith with a pass over the middle and inside the Minnesota ten-yard line. Smith pushed for the score, but was hit hard, popping the ball into air towards the goal line. Freddie Mitchell was in the neighborhood and caught the derelict fumble in the end zone for an amazing touchdown that proved it would be the Eagles' day.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Playoffs, Divisional Playoffs: vs. Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings got the ball to the Eagles' 4-yard line, but a botched fake field goal attempt left them with nothing to show for the drive and put a dent in their hopes. Interceptions by Ike Reese and Jeremiah Trotter in the third quarter kept Minnesota at bay, while Freddie Mitchell's luck was reversed when he fumbled a near-touchdown out of the end zone, resulting in a touchback. Two David Akers field goals in the fourth quarter put the game at 27–7 and out of reach. Culpepper added a 32-yard touchdown pass to Robinson, but the Eagles were going to their fourth straight NFC Championship Game. McNabb had 286 passing yards and two touchdowns, Westbrook had over 100 all-purpose yards, and Mitchell caught five balls and had two touchdowns filling in for Terrell Owens.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Playoffs, NFC Championship: vs. Atlanta Falcons
weather= 12 °F (Clear)The Eagles hoped that the fourth time would be a charm for them against the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship Game after losing the past three title games. The game would be played in post-blizzard, 17-degree weather, with swirling frigid winds nearing 30 MPH. Atlanta had gone 11–5 over the year, and were the second best team in the conference, behind Philadelphia. Atlanta's quarterback and star player Michael Vick would basically be the Falcons' main hope of upsetting the Eagles.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Playoffs, NFC Championship: vs. Atlanta Falcons
He tried to run twice on the opening drive, but the Eagles' defense, using a mush rush, stopped him both times. Later in the quarter, Brian Westbrook broke a 36-yard run to the right side, followed by a completion to L.J. Smith for 21 yards. Dorsey Levens, with some help from his teammates, pushed his way in for a 4-yard touchdown, giving Philadelphia a 7–0 lead. Atlanta took the ball back and began a long drive, which featured many Warrick Dunn and T. J. Duckett rushes, that took them to first and goal from the Eagles' two-yard line. Duckett was stuffed on first down, Vick threw incomplete on second, then looked to have room to run on third, but big Hollis Thomas emerged and leveled Vick at the 3-yard line. The Falcons settled for a field goal, making it 7–3.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Playoffs, NFC Championship: vs. Atlanta Falcons
The Eagles moved towards the end zone again, the big blow coming when Greg Lewis came back and hauled in a 45-yard pass from Donovan McNabb, setting up first and goal from the Falcons' four-yard line. Two plays later, McNabb passed in the corner of the end zone to veteran tight end Chad Lewis, with Lewis catching the pass while making a spectacular effort to stay in bounds.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Playoffs, NFC Championship: vs. Atlanta Falcons
On Atlanta's next possession, in the middle of the second quarter, Vick went deep over the middle for tight end Alge Crumpler, who made the catch but was absolutely crushed by safety Brian Dawkins on the play. Dunn went in for the 10-yard score on the next play and it was 14–10 Eagles. Philadelphia took the kickoff in the third quarter and marched down the field, setting up a 31-yard field goal by David Akers in the wind. Defensive end Derrick Burgess had his first of two sacks on Vick to kill Atlanta's next drive. Later in the quarter, a low pass by Vick was intercepted by Dawkins, leading to another Akers field goal and increasing the Eagles' advantage to 20–10.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Playoffs, NFC Championship: vs. Atlanta Falcons
As the game moved into the fourth quarter and Atlanta's passing offense could do little against the Philadelphia secondary, a Super Bowl berth looked more and more likely. A six-and-a-half minute drive that ended in another short Chad Lewis touchdown reception kicked off the celebration in Philadelphia. Victorious by a score of 27–10, the Eagles were NFC Champions for the first time since 1980. McNabb threw for a modest 180 yards in the windy weather, but had two touchdowns and no interceptions. Westbrook came up with 96 yards on the ground, while Chad Lewis made two critical touchdown receptions. It was later learned that Lewis broke his ankle on the second touchdown catch, and he would be left off the Super Bowl roster. Meanwhile, the defense held Vick to 136 passing yards and 26 rushing yards, and kept Atlanta off the scoreboard in the second half.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Playoffs, Super Bowl XXXIX: vs. New England Patriots
In their first Super Bowl appearance since Super Bowl XV, the Eagles met the New England Patriots on February 6, 2005 at ALLTEL Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. The Patriots, led by Tom Brady had won two of the past three Super Bowls and a win against the Eagles would likely lead to "dynasty status". They had cruised to a 14–2 regular season record, and taken down the Indianapolis Colts and 15–1 Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC playoffs. Meanwhile, the Eagles, considered heavy underdogs, had star wide receiver Terrell Owens miraculously returning, against doctor's orders, from injury.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Playoffs, Super Bowl XXXIX: vs. New England Patriots
A third-down sack and subsequent fumble by Donovan McNabb on the Eagles' first possession nearly led to a turnover in Eagles' territory, but Andy Reid challenged the play and the Eagles were able to punt. Both offenses struggled in general until McNabb hit Owens on a 30-yard catch and run to inside the New England 10-yard line. Unfortunately, Patriot safety Rodney Harrison picked off McNabb's pass to the end zone. After a New England punt, the Eagles had good field position, but L. J. Smith was hit and fumbled after a completion, giving the ball back to the Patriots.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Playoffs, Super Bowl XXXIX: vs. New England Patriots
New England's offense continued to struggle and the Eagles took back over, with McNabb finding maligned wide receiver Todd Pinkston for a 17-yard completion then a spectacular leaping 40-yard catch. On third and goal, McNabb hit Smith in the end zone and the Eagles had drawn first blood 7–0. Brady led the Patriots to the Eagles' 4-yard line, but he was sacked and fumbled, with Darwin Walker recovering for the Eagles. Things were looking good for Philadelphia, but they went three and out, giving New England the ball back at the Eagles' 37-yard line. Brady did not waste this opportunity, and led the Patriots to a touchdown with 1:21 left in the half, with David Givens catching a 4-yard scoring strike and celebrating by mocking Owens' wing flap celebration.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Playoffs, Super Bowl XXXIX: vs. New England Patriots
Brady connected with eventual game MVP Deion Branch four times on the opening drive of the third quarter. Mike Vrabel caught the short touchdown pass and New England had its first lead 14–7. In the middle of the third, the Eagles drove to the New England 10-yard line, before McNabb fired a bullet to Brian Westbrook between two Patriot defenders for a game-tying score. The Patriots answered back with a scoring drive capped by a two-yard touchdown rush by Corey Dillon early in the fourth quarter, giving New England the lead back 21–14. On their next possession, the Patriots got good field position and ended the drive with a short Adam Vinatieri field goal, pushing the lead to 24–14.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Playoffs, Super Bowl XXXIX: vs. New England Patriots
Tedy Bruschi intercepted McNabb on the next series and it looked like the Eagles might be finished. However, they forced a three-and-out and got the ball back with 5:40 to play. They drove down the field, but there was an alarming lack of urgency and the clock kept ticking. A sudden 30-yard touchdown pass from McNabb to Greg Lewis gave the Eagles new life, but less than two minutes remained. The Eagles failed to get the onside kick, then burned their timeouts on New England's possession.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Playoffs, Super Bowl XXXIX: vs. New England Patriots
Philadelphia got the ball back at their 4-yard line with :46 seconds left down 24–21, but Rodney Harrison got his second interception of McNabb three plays later and the season was over. McNabb threw for 357 yards and three touchdowns, but his three interceptions were devastating. Owens had nine catches and 122 yards on his partially healed ankle, while Pinkston hauled in 82 receiving yards.


2004 Philadelphia Eagles season, Playoffs, Super Bowl XXXIX: vs. New England Patriots
The Eagles had done better than most expected and were in the game until the end, but they had made too many first half mistakes, when the Patriots were playing poorly, and left too many points on the field. Nevertheless, the 2004 Eagles had done better than any Eagles team had done since the 1960 NFL Championship. The Eagles would eventually win Super Bowl LII against New England in 2017.


2004 Philadelphia Phillies season
The 2004 Philadelphia Phillies season was the 122nd season in the history of the franchise. The Phillies finished in second-place in the National League East with a record of 86–76, ten games behind the Atlanta Braves, and six games behind the NL wild-card champion Houston Astros. The Phillies were managed by their former shortstop Larry Bowa (85–75) and Gary Varsho (1–1), who replaced Bowa on the penultimate day of the season. The Phillies played their first season of home games at Citizens Bank Park, which opened April 12, with the visiting Cincinnati Reds defeating the Phillies, 4–1.


2004 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season
A season of high expectations due to notable offseason moves was a disappointment, costing manager Larry Bowa his job towards season's end.


2004 Philadelphia Phillies season, Regular season, Citizens Bank Park
Citizens Bank Park is a 43,647-seat baseball-only stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that opened on April 3, 2004, and hosted its first regular-season baseball game on April 12 of that same year, as the tenants of the facility, the Philadelphia Phillies lost to the Cincinnati Reds, 4–1. The ballpark was built to replace the now-demolished Veterans Stadium (a football/baseball multipurpose facility), and features natural grass and dirt playing field and also features a number of Philadelphia style food stands, including several which serve cheesesteaks, hoagies, and other regional specialties. Behind center field is Ashburn Alley, named after Phillies great center fielder and Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn, a walkway featuring restaurants and memorabilia from Phillies history, along with a restaurant/bar and grille called "Harry The K's" named after Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Kalas.


2004 Philadelphia Phillies season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


2004 Philadelphia Phillies season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


2004 Philadelphia Soul season
The 2004 Philadelphia Soul season was the inaugural season of the Philadelphia Soul in the Arena Football League. It was a disappointing season for the Soul, finishing with a record of 5–11. They won their first game on February 21 vs. the Columbus Destroyers 56–34.


2004 Philadelphia Wings season
The 2004 Philadelphia Wings season marked the team's eighteenth season of operation.


2004 Philadelphia Wings season, Regular season, Conference standings
x: Clinched playoff berth; c: Clinched playoff berth by crossing over to another division; y: Clinched division; z: Clinched best regular season record; GP: Games PlayedW: Wins; L: Losses; GB: Games back; PCT: Win percentage; Home: Record at Home; Road: Record on the Road; GF: Goals scored; GA: Goals allowedDifferential: Difference between goals scored and allowed; GF/GP: Average number of goals scored per game; GA/GP: Average number of goals allowed per game


2004 Philippine House of Representatives elections
Elections for the House of Representatives of the Philippines were held on May 10, 2004. Being held together with presidential election, the party of the incumbent president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, and by extension the administration-led coalition, the Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan (K4), won majority of the seats in the House of Representatives.


2004 Philippine House of Representatives elections
The elected representatives served in the 13th Congress from 2004 to 2007.


2004 Philippine Senate election
The 2004 election of members to the Senate of the Philippines was the 28th election to the Senate of the Philippines. It was held on Monday, May 10, 2004, to elect 12 of the 24 seats in the Senate. The major coalitions that participated are the Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan (K4; Coalition of Truth and Experience for Tomorrow) composed of parties that support the candidacy of president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP; Coalition of United Filipinos), parties that support the candidacy of film actor Fernando Poe Jr. A third coalition, the Alyansa ng Pag-asa (Alliance of Hope) was made up of Aksyon Demokratiko and Reporma-LM. K4 won seven seats, while the KNP won the remaining five contested seats in the Philippine Senate.


2004 Philippine Senate election
The elections were notable for several reasons. This election first saw the implementation of the Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003 (see Wikisource), which enabled Filipinos in over 70 countries to vote.


2004 Philippine Senate election, Parties and coalitions
This election has seen strong shifts of alliances and new parties as candidates switched allegiances. The two major coalitions seen in this elections were the K-4 (Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan), of the administration, and the KNP (Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino), the united opposition.


2004 Philippine Senate election, Parties and coalitions, Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan (K-4)
The Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan (Coalition of Truth and Experience for Tomorrow) or K-4, is the remnant of the People Power Coalition that was formed following the ascendancy of president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to power. Arroyo is seeking a complete term under this coalition with Sen. Noli de Castro, an independent, yet popular, politician, as her running mate. The leading party in this coalition is the ruling Lakas-CMD, of which Arroyo is a member. Other parties under this coalition are the Liberal Party, the Nacionalista Party, the Nationalist People's Coalition and the People's Reform Party.


2004 Philippine Senate election, Parties and coalitions, Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP)
The Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (Coalition of United Filipinos), or KNP, is the coalition of the united opposition. Its standard bearers are Fernando Poe, Jr. for president and Sen. Loren Legarda for vice-president. The leading parties of this coalition is the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP-Angara Wing), the PDP–Laban and the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino. The LDP split is caused by stubbornness between FPJ and Ping Lacson especially with the support of the former president Joseph Estrada and former first lady Imelda Marcos. The other major party under this coalition is Estrada's Partido ng Masang Pilipino (PMP, Party of the Filipino Masses).


2004 Philippine Senate election, Parties and coalitions, Alyansa ng Pag-asa
The third major coalition running in this election is the Alyansa ng Pag-asa (Alliance of Hope), This coalition fielded Raul Roco for president and Herminio Aquino for vice-president. The three major parties supporting this coalition are Roco's Aksyon Demokratiko (Democratic Action), former Defense Sec. Renato de Villa's Reporma Party, and Lito Osmeña's Promdi (Probinsya Muna [Provinces First] Development Initiative/Party). The three parties were the ones that bolted out of the People Power Coalition.


2004 Philippine Senate election, Parties and coalitions, Bangon Pilipinas Movement (BPM)
The Bangon Pilipinas (Rise up, Philippines) Movement is the political party of Bro. Eddie Villanueva. It consists mostly of volunteers, a majority of whom came from Villanueva's Jesus Is Lord church (Villanueva resigned from the church before submitting his candidacy, to prevent questions on separation of church and state).


2004 Philippine Senate election, Parties and coalitions, Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) (Aquino Wing)
This was composed of Panfilo Lacson's supporters in the LDP Party.


2004 Philippine Senate election, Parties and coalitions, Partido Isang Bansa, Isang Diwa
This was Eddie Gil's organization. Gil was deemed a nuisance candidate and was disqualified from the presidential race, however, the party qualified for other positions.


2004 Philippine Senate election, Results
The Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan (K4) won seven seats, while the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) won five.


2004 Philippine Senate election, Results
Incumbent KNP senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr. and K4 senator Rodolfo Biazon successfully defended their seats.


2004 Philippine Senate election, Results
K4's Pia Cayetano, Richard J. Gordon, Lito Lapid, Jamby Madrigal, Bong Revilla, Mar Roxas and KNP's Jinggoy Estrada and Alfredo Lim are the neophyte senators.


2004 Philippine Senate election, Results
Returning are K4's Miriam Defensor Santiago and KNP's Juan Ponce Enrile, who were both defeated in 2001.


2004 Philippine Senate election, Results
K4's Robert Barbers and Robert Jaworski both lost their seats.


2004 Philippine Senate election, Results
The election of Noli de Castro as Vice President of the Philippines in concurrent elections means that his Senate seat will be vacant until June 30, 2007.


2004 Philippine Senate election, Results, Per candidate
The official results of the election were released in staggered dates with most winners in local elective positions declared within two weeks from the May 10 election date. The winners in the Senatorial and Party-list Representative elections were declared on May 24, with the exception of the 12th senator which was announced on June 3. The results of the Presidential and Vice-Presidential races were finalized by the Congress on June 20, more than a month after the elections. Out of the 43,536,028 registered voters, about 35.4 million ballots were cast giving a voter turn-out of 81.4%.


2004 Philippine general election
Presidential elections, legislative elections and local elections were held in the Philippines on May 10, 2004. In the presidential election, incumbent president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo won a full six-year term as president, with a margin of just over one million votes over her leading opponent, highly popular movie actor Fernando Poe Jr..


2004 Philippine general election
The elections were notable for several reasons. This election first saw the implementation of the Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003 (see Wikisource), which enabled Filipinos in over 70 countries to vote. This is also the first election since the 1986 People Power Revolution where an incumbent president ran in the presidential election. Under the 1987 Constitution, an elected president cannot run for another term. However, Arroyo was not elected president, but instead succeeded ousted President Joseph Estrada, who was earlier impeached with charges of plunder and corruption in 2000 and later convicted on the plunder charge but received conditional pardon from Arroyo.


2004 Philippine general election
Moreover, this was the first time since 1986 that both the winning president and vice president were under the same party/coalition. This election was also held at a period in modern Philippines marked by serious political polarization. This resulted in lesser candidates for the presidential and vice presidential elections compared to the 1992 and 1998 elections.


2004 Philippine general election, Background
The political climate leading up to the 2004 elections was one of the most emotional in the country's history since the 1986 elections that resulted in the exile of Ferdinand Marcos. Philippine society has become polarized between the followers of former president Joseph Estrada who have thrown their support for Estrada's close associate Fernando Poe Jr. and those who support incumbent Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, or at best oppose Estrada.


2004 Philippine general election, Background
The several months leading to the May elections saw several presidential scandals, Arroyo reversing her earlier decision not to run for president, the sudden but not unexpected candidacy of Fernando Poe Jr., defection of key political figures from the Arroyo camp to the opposition, the controversial automated elections initiative of the COMELEC, and the split of the dominant opposition party, Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino, between Poe and Panfilo Lacson.


2004 Philippine general election, Background, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's candidacy
On a speech given on Rizal Day, December 30, 2002, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared that she would not run in the 2004 elections. Arroyo claimed that withdrawing from the race would relieve her of the burden of politics and allow her administration to devote the last year and half to the following:


2004 Philippine general election, Background, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's candidacy
First, strengthening the economy to create more jobs and to encourage business activities that are unhampered by corruption and red tape in government.


2004 Philippine general election, Background, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's candidacy
This was hailed as a welcome development by many people, especially those in the business and economic sectors. Nine months later, on October 4, 2003, Arroyo completely changed her mind. Arroyo stated that her change of heart was for a higher cause and that she cannot ignore the call to further serve the country. Many people, especially those who held on to her commitment, were dismayed by her turnabout, though most were unsurprised since there had been clues months before that she would probably not stand by her earlier decision. Others welcomed this development, saying that she needs more time to implement her projects, and that she would be the strongest contender against a likely candidacy by Fernando Poe Jr.


2004 Philippine general election, Background, Fernando Poe, Jr.'s candidacy
Months before the elections, members of the opposition have been encouraging Fernando Poe Jr., a close friend of former president Joseph Estrada to run for president. Poe was very popular with the masses and it was widely believed that he would be a sure winner if he ran for president.


2004 Philippine general election, Background, Fernando Poe, Jr.'s candidacy
On November 27, 2003, Poe ended months of speculation by announcing that he will run for president during a press conference held at the Manila Hotel.


2004 Philippine general election, Background, Fernando Poe, Jr.'s candidacy
However, on January 9, 2004, Victorino X. Fornier (a private citizen) filed a case against Poe and the COMELEC, saying that Poe wasn't eligible to run for he is not a natural-born Filipino before the COMELEC. On January 23, the COMELEC dismissed the petition for lack of merit. On February 10, Fornier finally filed the case to the Supreme Court, seeking Poe to be disqualified from the race. His case was later merged with cases filed by Maria Jeanette C. Tecson, and Felix B. Desiderio Jr., and by Zoilo Antonio G. Velez.


2004 Philippine general election, Background, Fernando Poe, Jr.'s candidacy
On September 28, 2007, 8:30 p.m, Senior Superintendent Francisco Uyami, Pasig police chief stated that Lawyer Maria Tecson, 40, was found dead (in a state of rigor mortis) inside room 204 at the Richmond Hotel, San Miguel Avenue, Pasig (with her throat slit and with cuts on her wrist). Maria Jeanette Tecson, Zoilo Velez (promoted to Court of Appeals Justice) and Victorino Fornier filed the disqualification case against Fernando Poe Jr. She claimed Poe was born out of wedlock and that while Poe's birth certificate was dated 1939, his parents Allan Poe and American mother Bessie Kelly did not marry until 1940.


2004 Philippine general election, Background, Fernando Poe, Jr.'s candidacy
On March 3, the Supreme Court, said in its decision, that for lack of jurisdiction and prematurity, and ruling that Poe's father, Allan F. Poe would have been a Filipino citizen by virtue of the en masse Filipinization enacted by the Philippine Bill of 1902. Also, even if Poe wasn't a natural-born Filipino citizen, he cannot be held guilty of having made a material misrepresentation in his certificate of candidacy.


2004 Philippine general election, Background, Eddie Villanueva's candidacy
The Commission on Elections originally affirmed the candidacies of six people for the president. The sixth person running for president was Bro. Eddie Villanueva, spiritual director of Jesus is Lord Church. The party of Eduardo Villanueva filed a petition with the COMELEC seeking to disqualify Eddie Gil on the basis of him being a nuisance candidate, his incapacity to mount a nationwide campaign, and that because he was running with the aim to confuse voters because of their similar names.


2004 Philippine general election, Background, The LDP split
The Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino party (LDP) would form the core of the main opposition party, the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP). However, members of the party disagreed on which person to support for president. Panfilo Lacson, a member of the party, advanced his candidacy for president but was not considered by Edgardo Angara, the president of the party. Angara supported Fernando Poe Jr. Together with the party's secretary-general Agapito Aquino, Lacson gathered the support of some members of the party and went ahead with his candidacy. The LDP was subsequently polarized between those supporting Angara and Poe, and those for Lacson and Aquino.


2004 Philippine general election, Background, The LDP split
By then, Poe and Lacson have both filed their certificates of candidacies. According to the rules of candidacy, every presidential candidate must have a political party to back him or her. With the obvious split within the ranks of the LDP, and with no signs that the two factions would come to an agreement, the COMELEC decided to informally split the party into the Aquino and the Angara wings. Lacson then ran under the LDP – Aquino Wing, and Poe under the LDP – Angara Wing, which would later become the KNP.


2004 Philippine general election, Background, The LDP split
During the campaign period, there had been numerous unification talks between the two factions. The opposition saw the need to become united under one banner to boost their chances of winning the presidential election against the organized political machinery of Arroyo. The plans of unification did not materialize due to the stubbornness of both Poe and Lacson. Lacson wanted Poe to concede to him and run as his vice-presidential candidate while the supporters of Poe wanted Lacson to back out from his candidacy and instead support Poe, citing his low performance in the surveys.


2004 Philippine general election, Background, COMELEC's move for an automated elections
Elections in the Philippines have always been a manual process with the results for national positions often being announced more than a month after election day. An attempt to rectify this was done by the Commission on Elections by automating the process of counting the votes. More than 30 billion pesos were spent in acquiring counting machines that were never used in this elections because of numerous controversies and political opposition.


2004 Philippine general election, Parties and coalitions
This election has seen strong shifts of alliances and new parties as candidates switched allegiances. The two major coalitions seen in this elections were the K-4 (Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan), of the administration, and the KNP (Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino), the united opposition.


2004 Philippine general election, Parties and coalitions, Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan (K-4)
The Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan (Coalition of Truth and Experience for Tomorrow) or K-4, is the remnant of the People Power Coalition that was formed following the ascendancy of president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to power. Arroyo is seeking a complete term under this coalition with Noli de Castro, an independent, yet popular, broadcaster, as her running mate. The leading party in this coalition is the ruling Lakas-CMD, of which Arroyo is a member. Other parties under this coalition are the Liberal Party, the Nacionalista Party, the Nationalist People's Coalition and the People's Reform Party.


2004 Philippine general election, Parties and coalitions, Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP)
The Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (Coalition of United Filipinos), or KNP, is the coalition of the united opposition. Its standard bearers are Fernando Poe Jr. for president and Sen. Loren Legarda for vice-president. The leading parties of this coalition is the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP-Angara Wing), the PDP–Laban and the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino. the LDP split is caused by stubbornness between Fernando Poe Jr. and Ping Lacson. especially with the support of the former president Joseph Estrada and former first lady Imelda Marcos. The other major party under this coalition is Estrada's Partido ng Masang Pilipino (PMP, Party of the Filipino Masses).


2004 Philippine general election, Parties and coalitions, Alyansa ng Pag-asa
The third major coalition running in this election is the Alyansa ng Pag-asa (Alliance of Hope), This coalition fielded Raul Roco for president and Herminiño Lagunzad for vice-president. The three major parties supporting this coalition are Roco's Aksyon Demokratiko (Democratic Action), former Defense Sec. Renato de Villa's Reporma Party, and Lito Osmeña's Promdi (Probinsya Muna [Provinces First] Development Party). The three parties were the ones that bolted out of the People Power Coalition.


2004 Philippine general election, Parties and coalitions, Bangon Pilipinas Movement (BPM)
The Bangon Pilipinas (Rise up, Philippines) Movement is the political party of Bro. Eddie Villanueva. It consists mostly of volunteers, a majority of whom came from Villanueva's Jesus Is Lord church (Villanueva resigned from the church before submitting his candidacy, to prevent questions on separation of church and state).


2004 Philippine general election, Parties and coalitions, Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) (Aquino Wing)
This was composed of Panfilo Lacson's supporters in the LDP Party.


2004 Philippine general election, Parties and coalitions, Partido Isang Bansa, Isang Diwa
This was Eddie Gil's organization. Gil was deemed a nuisance candidate and was disqualified from the presidential race, however, the party qualified for other positions.


2004 Philippine general election, Results
The official results of the election were released in staggered dates with most winners in local elective positions declared within two weeks from the May 10 election date. The winners in the Senatorial and Party-list Representative elections were declared on May 24, with the exception of the 12th senator which was announced on June 3. The results of the presidential and vice-presidential races were finalized by the Congress on June 20, more than a month after the elections. Out of the 43,536,028 registered voters, about 35.4 million ballots were cast giving a voter turn-out of 81.4%.


2004 Philippine general election, Results
Shown below are the official tallies of the presidential, vice-presidential, and senatorial races as well as the last tallies of the Quickcount conducted by the National Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL), the citizens' arm of the COMELEC.


2004 Philippine general election, Results, Vice President, Legarda vs. De Castro electoral protest
On January 18, 2008, in a 21-page resolution, penned by Senior Justice Leonardo Quisumbing, the Supreme Court of the Philippines, acting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), dismissed Sen. Loren Legarda's electoral protest against Noli de Castro.


2004 Philippine general election, Results, Vice President, Legarda vs. De Castro electoral protest
3 reasons supported the judgment: first, the PET approved the recommendation of Hearing Commissioner and former Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chair retired SC Justice Bernardo P. Pardo that “the pilot-tested revision of ballots or re-tabulation of the certificates of canvass would not affect the winning margin of the protestee in the final canvass of the returns, in addition to the ground of abandonment or withdrawal by reason of Protestant’s candidacy for, election and assumption of the office Senator of the Philippines;” second, Legarda's failure to pay the P 3.9 million ($1 = P 40) revision of ballots (in 124,404 precincts) fee despite court extension under Rule 33 of the PET; and third, jurisprudence of Defensor Santiago v. Ramos, teaches that Legarda "effectively abandoned or withdrawn her protest when she ran in the Senate, which term coincides with the term of the Vice-Presidency 2004–2010."


2004 Philippine general election, Results, Vice President, Legarda vs. De Castro electoral protest
Meanwhile, Noli De Castro on television stated: "This is the triumph of truth. The truth that I won fair and square. I thank the Supreme Court for echoing the true voice of the people. From the very beginning I was confident that I received the overwhelming mandate of our people as Vice President." Legarda stated that she will file a motion for reconsideration in due course.


2004 Philippine general election, Results, Congress
In the legislative elections, voters elected twelve Senators (half the members of the Senate), who are elected at large with the whole country voting as one constituency, and all 208 members of the House of Representatives, who are elected from single-member districts.


2004 Philippine general election, Results, Congress, Senate
The COMELEC sits as the National Board of Canvassers for the 12 senatorial positions.


2004 Philippine general election, Results, Local
In the local elections, voters elected governors, vice-governors, and board members of the country's 79 provinces, and the mayor, vice-mayor and councilors of the nation's more than 1,600 cities and municipalities.


2004 Philippine general election, Results, Exit polls
During and immediately after the elections, exit polls were conducted by various organizations including the Social Weather Stations. According to "The SWS 2004 Day of Election Survey: Final Exit Poll Scores Excluding Blank Answers", released by the SWS on May 19, 2004, the national vote percentages are: GMA 45%, FPJ 34%, Lacson 10%, Roco 6%, Villanueva 5% (slightly different numbers from May 11; error margin 2%, n = 4,445)."


2004 Philippine general election, Results, Exit polls
These results are affirmed when compared to the NAMFREL Quick Count as of May 21, as tabulated in "Comparison of ABS-CBN/SWS Exit Poll 2004 Results (as of May 17, 9 am; excluding No Answer) and NAMFREL Quick Count as of May 21 1:00 p.m. (Report #63)". The NAMFREL Quick Count shows GMA at 40.4%, FPJ at 36.5%, Lacson at 10.8%, Roco at 6.2%, and Villanueva at 6.1%.


2004 Philippine general election, Results, Exit polls
It is notable in light of the subsequent Hello Garci scandal how exit polling revealed the candidates' performance in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. To wit, the SWS exit poll shows that GMA won only 44% of ARMM while FPJ won 50% (in short, 44–50);  the NAMFREL Quick Count showed a score of 34.3–56.5. However, the final official COMELEC Canvass showed a result of 62% vs. 31% in favor of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. This highly irregular result constituted prima facie evidence of cheating in the ARMM.


2004 Philippine general election, Results, Exit polls
The SWS also published the number of registered voters per region as of April 28, 2004—or just a week before the elections—for the purpose of comparing their sample sizes with the actual number of voters. The ARMM had 1,057,458 voters.


2004 Philippine general election, Results, Exit polls
However, recall that in the final official COMELEC canvass, FPJ won 31% of ARMM votes. If he had won 100% of ARMM, he could gain only 69% more of the ARMM voters, or 729,646 votes. Given that the final difference between GMA and FPJ was 1,123,576 votes, GMA would still have won the election by a total of 393,930 votes.


2004 Philippine general election, Results, Exit polls
Even if FPJ won 100% of the ARMM, GMA would still have won. So great was GMA's lead, that even if they padded ARMM voter rolls so that it would show 1.5 million voters, 69% of that would only be 1.035 million votes, still not enough to overcome the 1.123-million vote lead.


2004 Philippine general election, Results, Exit polls
This result is actually consistent with the trend of the pre-election opinion polls conducted also by the SWS. On April 23, just a little over two weeks before the election, the SWS released a poll, and the headline of the SWS report by itself was historically significant: "SWS April 10–17, 2004 Survey: Roco Depleted, Voters Go To GMA and Undecided". The report's first line gives away the game: "Raul Roco's sudden departure for abroad cost him almost half of his voting strength, allowing Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to gain a slim lead ..." That lead could not be reversed: at the last pre-election SWS opinion poll (conducted from May 1 to 4) released on May 8, 2004, or just two days before the election, "GMA Leads FPJ By 7%", 37% to 30%, with 12% undecided.


2004 Philippine general election, Results, Official Congressional canvass
Under the constitution, the Congress is mandated to become the National Board of Canvassers for the top two positions, the president and the vice-president. Tallying in the 216,382 precincts nationwide are submitted in Election Returns that are forwarded to the municipal and city board of canvassers. These are then tabulated and forwarded to the provincial board of canvassers which prepare the 176 Certificates of Canvass (CoC). These CoCs were forwarded to the joint session of the Congress at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City on May 25, 2004.


2004 Philippine general election, Results, Official Congressional canvass
Senators and representatives from the administration and opposition have debated heatedly on the procedure of counting the CoCs. The traditional way of counting the certificates, as used in the 1992 and 1998 elections, was to appoint a joint committee consisting of seven senators and seven representatives. Many opposition legislators, notably, Cong. Didagen Dilangalen of Maguindanao, opposed this traditional method as unconstitutional saying that it should be the whole Congress, not a committee, who should count the votes. Part of the argument was that "power delegated cannot be further delegated", referring to the delegation of counting to a committee. The proposal of some legislators was for the whole Congress to sit in a joint session counting each and every single Certificate of Canvass.


2004 Philippine general election, Results, Official Congressional canvass
The debates and deliberations for the rules of canvassing were finished by the Congressional joint session on May 28. The rules decided were very similar to the ones used in the 1992 and 1998 elections, which called for a joint committee to act as the National Board of Canvassers. The notable difference is the increase of the number of committee members from 14 to 22, this time consisting of 11 senators and 11 representatives. The composition of the committee was also announced by the senate president, Franklin Drilon, and the Speaker of the House, Jose de Venecia.


2004 Philippine general election, Results, Official Congressional canvass
The composition was immediately lambasted by the Opposition; the House portion of the committee consisted of 9 administration representatives and 2 opposition. The Poe camp called for a more equal representation for all the involved political parties in the committee, despite the appointed commission mirroring the current composition of the House: there are 190 administration representatives in a 220-seat House.


2004 Philippine general election, Results, Official Congressional canvass
The official canvassing by the Congressional Joint Committee started on June 4, a little less than one month after election day. Canvassing was done in a slow pace, averaging about 12 Certificates of Canvass per day, as the Opposition accused Administration politicians of railroading the canvass. The Opposition lawyers wanted to question the validity of 25 CoCs, especially in those areas where Arroyo posted a wide margin over Poe.


2004 Philippine general election, Results, Official Congressional canvass
They wanted the committee to examine the Statement of Votes at the municipal level and even down to the Election Returns at the precinct level to prove their claim that the Certificates of Canvass have been tampered with in favor of Arroyo. Administration lawyers contend that the committee is not the proper place to lodge complaints of fraud and that the Opposition should go to the Presidential Election Tribunal (the Supreme Court) after the winner has been proclaimed.


2004 Philippine presidential election
The 2004 Philippine presidential and vice presidential elections were held on Monday, May 10, 2004. In the presidential election, incumbent president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo won a full six-year term as President, with a margin of just over one million votes over her leading opponent, highly popular movie actor Fernando Poe, Jr.


2004 Philippine presidential election
The elections were notable for several reasons. This election first saw the implementation of the Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003 (see Wikisource), which enabled Filipinos in over 70 countries to vote. This is also the first election since the 1986 People Power Revolution where an incumbent president ran for re-election. Under the 1987 Constitution, an elected president cannot run for another term. However, Arroyo was not elected president, but instead succeeded ousted President Joseph Estrada, who was impeached with charges of plunder and corruption in 2000 and later convicted of plunder (but received conditional pardon from Arroyo).


2004 Philippine presidential election
Moreover, this elections was the first time since 1986 that both the winning president and vice president were under the same party/coalition. As of 2016, it is also the most recent election with this attribute.


2004 Philippine presidential election
This election was also held at a period in modern Philippines marked by serious political polarization. This resulted in lesser candidates for the presidential and vice presidential elections compared to the 1992 and 1998 elections.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Background
The political climate leading up to the 2004 elections was one of the most emotional in the country's history since the 1986 elections that resulted in the exile of Ferdinand Marcos. Philippine society has become polarized between the followers of former president Joseph Estrada who have thrown their support for Estrada's close associate Fernando Poe, Jr. and those who support incumbent Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, or at best oppose Estrada.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Background
The several months leading to the May elections saw several presidential scandals, Arroyo reversing her earlier decision not to run for president, the sudden but not unexpected candidacy of Fernando Poe, Jr., defection of key political figures from the Arroyo camp to the opposition, the controversial automated elections initiative of the COMELEC, and the split of the dominant opposition party, Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino, between Poe and Panfilo Lacson.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Background, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's candidacy
On a speech given on Rizal Day, December 30, 2002, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared that she would not run in the 2004 elections. She said that withdrawing from the race would relieve her of the burden of politics and allow her administration to devote the last year and half tostrengthening the economy healing the deep divisions within Philippine society, and working for clean and honest elections in 2004.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Background, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's candidacy
However, on October 4, 2003, Arroyo said that she would seek a full-term presidency, saying that her change of heart was for a higher cause, and that she could not ignore the call to further  serve the country.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Background, Fernando Poe, Jr.'s candidacy
Months before the elections, members of the opposition were encouraging actor Fernando Poe, Jr., a close friend of former president Joseph Estrada to run for president. Poe was very popular with the masses and it was widely believed that he would be a sure winner if he ran for president.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Background, Fernando Poe, Jr.'s candidacy
On November 27, 2003, Poe announced during a press conference held at the Manila Hotel that he would run for president.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Background, Fernando Poe, Jr.'s candidacy
However, on January 9, 2004, Victorino X. Fornier (a private citizen) filed a case against Poe and the COMELEC, saying that Poe was not eligible to run as he was not a natural-born Filipino before the COMELEC. On 23 January, the COMELEC dismissed the petition for lack of merit. On February 10, Fornier finally filed the case to the Supreme Court, seeking for Poe to be disqualified from the race. His case was later merged with cases filed by Maria Jeanette C. Tecson, and Felix B. Desiderio, Jr., and by Zoilo Antonio G. Velez.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Background, Fernando Poe, Jr.'s candidacy
On September 28, 2007, 8:30 p.m, Senior Superintendent Francisco Uyami, Pasig police chief stated that lawyer Maria Tecson, 40, had been found dead (in a state of rigor mortis) inside room 204 at the Richmond Hotel, San Miguel Avenue, Pasig (with her throat slit and with cuts on her wrist). Maria Jeanette Tecson, Zoilo Velez (promoted to Court of Appeals Justice) and Victorino Fornier filed the disqualification case against Fernando Poe, Jr. She claimed Poe was born out of wedlock, and that while Poe's birth certificate was dated 1939, his parents Allan Poe and American mother Bessie Kelly did not marry until 1940.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Background, Fernando Poe, Jr.'s candidacy
On March 3, the Supreme Court, said in its decision that for lack of jurisdiction and prematurity, and ruling that Poe's father, Allan F. Poe would have been a Filipino citizen by virtue of the en masse Filipinization enacted by the Philippine Bill of 1902. Also, even if Poe had not been a natural-born Filipino citizen, he could not be held guilty of having made a material misrepresentation in his certificate of candidacy.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Background, Eddie Gil's candidacy
The Commission on Elections originally affirmed the candidacies of six people for the president. The sixth person running for president was Eduardo "Eddie" Gil, a known Marcos loyalist. The party of Eduardo Villanueva filed a petition with the COMELEC seeking to disqualify Eddie Gil on the basis of him being a nuisance candidate, his incapacity to mount a nationwide campaign, and that because he was running with the aim to confuse voters because of their similar names.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Background, Eddie Gil's candidacy
Eddie Gil claims to be an international banker having a net worth of billions of dollars. His platform for presidency promised to make every Filipino a millionaire within his first 100 days of being elected. He also promised to pay off the Philippines' debt, worth trillions of pesos, from his own pocket. This was widely ridiculed, especially after a recent incident in which a check he had issued to pay his hotel bills during a campaign sortie, bounced.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Background, The LDP split
The Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino party (LDP) would form the core of the main opposition party, the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP). However, members of the party disagreed on which person to support for president. Panfilo Lacson, a member of the party, advanced his candidacy for president but was not considered by Edgardo Angara, the president of the party. Angara supported Fernando Poe, Jr. Together with the party's secretary-general Agapito "Butz" Aquino, Lacson gathered the support of some members of the party and went ahead with his candidacy. The LDP was subsequently polarized between those supporting Angara and Poe, and those for Lacson and Aquino.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Background, The LDP split
By then, Poe and Lacson have both filed their certificates of candidacies. According to the rules of candidacy, every presidential candidate must have a political party to back him or her. With the obvious split within the ranks of the LDP, and with no signs that the two factions would come to an agreement, the COMELEC decided to informally split the party into the Aquino and the Angara wings. Lacson then ran under the LDP - Aquino Wing, and Poe under the LDP - Angara Wing, which would later become the KNP.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Background, The LDP split
During the campaign period, there had been numerous unification talks between the two factions. The opposition saw the need to become united under one banner to boost their chances of winning the presidential election against the organized political machinery of Arroyo. The plans of unification did not materialize due to the stubbornness of both Poe and Lacson. Lacson wanted Poe to concede to him and run as his vice-presidential candidate while the supporters of Poe wanted Lacson to back out from his candidacy and instead support Poe, citing his low performance in the surveys.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Background, COMELEC's move for an automated elections
Elections in the Philippines have always been a manual process with the results for national positions often being announced more than a month after election day. An attempt to rectify this was done by the Commission on Elections by automating the process of counting the votes. More than 30 billion pesos were spent in acquiring counting machines that were never used in this elections because of numerous controversies and political opposition.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Parties and coalitions
This election has seen strong shifts of alliances and new parties as candidates switched allegiances. The two major coalitions seen in this elections were the K-4 (Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan), of the administration, and the KNP (Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino), the united opposition.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Parties and coalitions, Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP)
The Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (Coalition of United Filipinos), or KNP, is the coalition of the united opposition. Its standard bearers are Fernando Poe, Jr. for president and Sen. Loren Legarda for vice-president. The leading parties of this coalition is the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP-Angara Wing), the PDP–Laban and the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino. the LDP split is caused by stubbornness between FPJ and Ping Lacson. especially with the support of the former president Joseph Estrada and former first lady Imelda Marcos. The other major party under this coalition is Estrada's Partido ng Masang Pilipino (PMP, Party of the Filipino Masses).


2004 Philippine presidential election, Parties and coalitions, Alyansa ng Pag-asa
The third major coalition running in this election is the Alyansa ng Pag-asa (Alliance of Hope), This coalition fielded Raul Roco for president and Herminio Aquino for vice-president. The three major parties supporting this coalition are Roco's Aksyon Demokratiko (Democratic Action), former Defense Sec. Renato de Villa's Reporma Party, and Lito Osmeña's Promdi (Probinsya Muna [Provinces First] Development Party). The three parties were the ones that bolted out of the People Power Coalition.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Parties and coalitions, Bangon Pilipinas Movement (BPM)
The Bangon Pilipinas (Rise up, Philippines) Movement is the political party of Bro. Eddie Villanueva. It consists mostly of volunteers, a majority of whom came from Villanueva's Jesus Is Lord church (Villanueva resigned from the church before submitting his candidacy, to prevent questions on separation of church and state).


2004 Philippine presidential election, Parties and coalitions, Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) (Aquino Wing)
This was composed of Panfilo Lacson's supporters in the LDP Party.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Parties and coalitions, Partido Isang Bansa, Isang Diwa
This was Eddie Gil's organization. Gil was deemed a nuisance candidate and was disqualified from the presidential race, however, the party qualified for other positions.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Results
The official results of the election were released in staggered dates with most winners in local elective positions declared within two weeks from the May 10 election date. The winners in the Senatorial and Party-list Representative elections were declared on May 24, with the exception of the 12th senator which was announced on June 3. The results of the presidential and vice-presidential races were finalized by the Congress on June 20, more than a month after the elections. Out of the 43,895,324 registered voters, about 33.5 million ballots were cast giving a voter turn-out of 76.34%.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Results
Shown below are the official tallies of the Presidential and Vice-Presidential races.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Results, PET Case No. 003, Legarda v. De Castro, January 18, 2008
On January 18, 2008, in a 21-page resolution, penned by Senior Justice Leonardo Quisumbing, the Supreme Court of the Philippines, acting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), dismissed Sen. Loren Legarda's electoral protest against Noli de Castro.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Results, PET Case No. 003, Legarda v. De Castro, January 18, 2008
3 reasons supported the judgment: first, the PET approved the recommendation of Hearing Commissioner and former Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chair retired SC Justice Bernardo P. Pardo that “the pilot-tested revision of ballots or re-tabulation of the certificates of canvass would not affect the winning margin of the protestee in the final canvass of the returns, in addition to the ground of abandonment or withdrawal by reason of Protestant’s candidacy for, election and assumption of the office Senator of the Philippines;” second, Legarda's failure to pay the P 3.9 million ($1 = P 40) revision of ballots (in 124,404 precincts) fee despite court extension under Rule 33 of the PET; and third, jurisprudence of Defensor Santiago v. Ramos, teaches that Legarda "effectively abandoned or withdrawn her protest when she ran in the Senate, which term coincides with the term of the Vice-Presidency 2004-2010."


2004 Philippine presidential election, Results, PET Case No. 003, Legarda v. De Castro, January 18, 2008
Meanwhile, Noli De Castro on television stated: "This is the triumph of truth. The truth that I won fair and square. I thank the Supreme Court for echoing the true voice of the people. From the very beginning I was confident that I received the overwhelming mandate of our people as Vice President." Legarda stated that she will file a motion for reconsideration in due course.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Results, Exit polls
During and immediately after the elections, exit polls were conducted by various organizations including the Social Weather Stations. According to "The SWS 2004 Day of Election Survey: Final Exit Poll Scores Excluding Blank Answers", released by the SWS on 19 May 2004, the national vote percentages are: GMA 45%, FPJ 34%, Lacson 10%, Roco 6%, Villanueva 5% (slightly different numbers from May 11; error margin 2%, n = 4,445)."


2004 Philippine presidential election, Results, Exit polls
These results are affirmed when compared to the NAMFREL Quick Count as of May 21, as tabulated in "Comparison of ABS-CBN/SWS Exit Poll 2004 Results (as of May 17, 9 am; excluding No Answer) and NAMFREL Quick Count as of May 21 1:00 p.m. (Report #63)". The NAMFREL Quick Count shows GMA at 40.4%, FPJ at 36.5%, Lacson at 10.8%, Roco at 6.2%, and Villanueva at 6.1%.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Results, Exit polls
It is notable in light of the subsequent Hello Garci scandal how exit polling revealed the candidates' performance in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. To wit, the SWS exit poll shows that GMA won only 44% of ARMM while FPJ won 50% (in short, 44–50);  the NAMFREL Quick Count showed a score of 34.3-56.5. However, the final official COMELEC Canvass showed a result of 62% vs. 31% in favor of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Results, Exit polls
The SWS also published the number of registered voters per region as of April 28, 2004—or just a week before the elections—for the purpose of comparing their sample sizes with the actual number of voters. The ARMM had 1,057,458 voters.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Results, Exit polls
However, recall that in the final official COMELEC canvass, FPJ won 31% of ARMM votes. If he had won 100% of ARMM, he could gain only 69% more of the ARMM voters, or 729,646 votes. Given that the final difference between GMA and FPJ was 1,123,576 votes, GMA would still have won the election by a total of 393,930 votes.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Results, Exit polls
Even if FPJ won 100% of the ARMM, GMA would still have won. So great was GMA's lead, that even if they padded ARMM voter rolls so that it would show 1.5 million voters, 69% of that would only be 1.035 million votes, still not enough to overcome the 1.123-million vote lead.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Results, Exit polls
This result is actually consistent with the trend of the pre-election opinion polls conducted also by the SWS. On April 23, just a little over two weeks before the election, the SWS released a poll, and the headline of the SWS report by itself was historically significant: "SWS April 10–17, 2004 Survey: Roco Depleted, Voters Go To GMA and Undecided". The report's first line gives away the game: "Raul Roco's sudden departure for abroad cost him almost half of his voting strength, allowing Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to gain a slim lead ..." That lead could not be reversed: at the last pre-election SWS opinion poll (conducted from May 1 to 4) released on 8 May 2004, or just two days before the election, "GMA Leads FPJ By 7%", 37% to 30%, with 12% undecided.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Results, Voter demographics
Source: Exit polls conducted by Social Weather Stations on May 11, 99% total due to rounding error (margin of error: 2%)


2004 Philippine presidential election, Results, Official Congressional canvass
Under the constitution, the Congress is mandated to become the National Board of Canvassers for the top two positions, the president and the vice-president. Tallying in the 216,382 precincts nationwide are submitted in Election Returns that are forwarded to the municipal and city board of canvassers. These are then tabulated and forwarded to the provincial board of canvassers which prepare the 176 Certificates of Canvass (CoC). These CoCs were forwarded to the joint session of the Congress at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City in May 2004.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Results, Official Congressional canvass
Senators and representatives from the administration and opposition have debated heatedly on the procedure of counting the CoCs. The traditional way of counting the certificates, as used in the 1992 and 1998 elections, was to appoint a joint committee consisting of seven senators and seven representatives. Many opposition legislators, notably, Cong. Didagen Dilangalen of Maguindanao, opposed this traditional method as unconstitutional saying that it should be the whole Congress, not a committee, who should count the votes. Part of the argument was that "power delegated cannot be further delegated", referring to the delegation of counting to a committee. The proposal of some legislators was for the whole Congress to sit in a joint session counting each and every single Certificate of Canvass.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Results, Official Congressional canvass
The debates and deliberations for the rules of canvassing were finished by the Congressional joint session on May 28. The rules decided were very similar to the ones used in the 1992 and 1998 elections, which called for a joint committee to act as the National Board of Canvassers. The notable difference is the increase of the number of committee members from 14 to 22, this time consisting of 11 senators and 11 representatives. The composition of the committee was also announced by the Senate President, Franklin Drilon, and the Speaker of the House, Jose de Venecia.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Results, Official Congressional canvass
The composition was immediately lambasted by the Opposition; the House portion of the committee consisted of 9 administration representatives and 2 opposition. The Poe camp called for a more equal representation for all the involved political parties in the committee, despite the appointed commission mirroring the current composition of the House: there are 190 administration representatives in a 220-seat House.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Results, Official Congressional canvass
The official canvassing by the Congressional Joint Committee started on June 4, a little less than one month after election day. Canvassing was done in a slow pace, averaging about 12 Certificates of Canvass per day, as the Opposition accused Administration politicians of railroading the canvass. The Opposition lawyers wanted to question the validity of 25 CoCs, especially in those areas where Arroyo posted a wide margin over Poe.


2004 Philippine presidential election, Results, Official Congressional canvass
They wanted the committee to examine the Statement of Votes at the municipal level and even down to the Election Returns at the precinct level to prove their claim that the Certificates of Canvass have been tampered with in favor of Arroyo. Administration lawyers contend that the committee is not the proper place to lodge complaints of fraud and that the Opposition should go to the Presidential Election Tribunal (the Supreme Court) after the winner has been proclaimed.


2004 Phoenix Mercury season
The 2004 WNBA season was the eighth for the Phoenix Mercury.


2004 Phoenix Mercury season, Regular season
In her WNBA debut, Taurasi netted 26 points and led the Mercury to an 84-76 victory over the Seattle Storm. For the season, the rookie averaged 17.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. Although the Mercury did not qualify for the playoffs, the season was a personal success as Taurasi was named to the Western Conference All Star team and won the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award.


2004 Phoenix Mercury season, Player stats
Note: GP= Games played; FG = Field Goals; MIN= Minutes; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points


2004 Picardy regional election
A regional election took place in Picardy on March 21 and March 28, 2004, along with all other regions. Claude Gewerc (PS) was elected President of the former Council of Picardy (now merged to Regional Council of Hauts-de-France), defeating incumbent Gilles de Robien.


2004 Pilot Pen Tennis
The 2004 Pilot Pen Tennis was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 22nd edition of the Pilot Pen Tennis and was part of the Tier II Series of the 2004 WTA Tour. It took place at the Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center in New Haven, United States, from August 22 through August 28, 2004. Seventh-seeded Elena Bovina won the singles title and earned $93,000 first-prize money.


2004 Pilot Pen Tennis – Doubles
Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suárez were the defending champions, but did not compete this year.


2004 Pilot Pen Tennis – Doubles
Nadia Petrova and Meghann Shaughnessy won the title by defeating Martina Navratilova and Lisa Raymond 6–1, 1–6, 7–6(7–4) in the final. It was the 10th doubles title for both players in their respective doubles careers. It was also the 6th title for the pair during the season, after their wins in Miami, Amelia Island, Berlin, Rome and Los Angeles.


2004 Pilot Pen Tennis – Singles
Jennifer Capriati was the defending champion, but lost in quarterfinals to Nathalie Dechy.


2004 Pilot Pen Tennis – Singles
Elena Bovina won the title by defeating Nathalie Dechy 6–2, 2–6, 7–5 in the final. It was the 1st title in the season for Bovina and the 3rd title in her career.


2004 Pilot Pen Tennis – Singles, Seeds
The first four seeds received a bye into the second round.


2004 Pitcairn Islands sexual assault trial
In the Pitcairn sexual assault trial of 2004 seven men living on Pitcairn Island faced 55 charges relating to sexual offences against children and young people. The accused represented a third of the island's male population and included Steve Christian, the mayor. On 24 October, all but one of the defendants were found guilty on at least some of the charges. Another six men living abroad, including Shawn Christian, who later served as mayor of Pitcairn, were tried on 41 charges in a separate trial in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2005.


2004 Pitcairn Islands sexual assault trial
The trial was repeatedly punctuated by legal challenges from island residents, who denied the island's colonial status, and with it the United Kingdom's judicial authority. Defence lawyers for the seven accused men claimed that British sovereignty over the islands was unconstitutional: HMS Bounty mutineers, from whom almost all of the current island population is descended (together with Polynesians), had effectively renounced their British citizenship by committing a capital offence in the burning of the Bounty in 1790, they said.


2004 Pitcairn Islands sexual assault trial
According to the Public Defender of the Pitcairn Islands Paul Dacre (who was appointed in 2003), islanders still celebrated this act annually by burning an effigy of the Bounty in a symbolic rejection of British rule. The defence maintained that the UK never made a formal claim to Pitcairn, and never officially informed the islanders that British legislation, such as the Sexual Offences Act 1956, was applicable to them.


2004 Pitcairn Islands sexual assault trial
In a judgment delivered on 18 April 2004, the Pitcairn Supreme Court (specially established for the purpose of the trial, consisting of New Zealand judges authorised by the British government) rejected the claim that Pitcairn was not British territory. This decision was upheld in August 2004 by the Pitcairn Court of Appeal, endorsing the claim of Deputy Governor Matthew Forbes that Pitcairn was British territory. A delay of the trial until the United Kingdom's Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) decided on an additional appeal was rejected. The trial started on 30 September 2004. Verdicts were delivered on 24 October 2004, with all but one of the defendants convicted on at least some of the charges they were facing. Those found guilty were sentenced on 29 October 2004.


2004 Pitcairn Islands sexual assault trial, Historical background
The remoteness of Pitcairn (which lies about halfway between New Zealand and Peru) had shielded the tiny population (47 in 2004) from outside scrutiny. The islanders had for many decades tolerated what others classify as sexual promiscuity, even among the very young, claimed to be in line with traditional values of their Polynesian ancestors. This included a corresponding tacit acceptance of behaviour which in the UK would be considered child sexual abuse. Three cases of imprisonment for sex with underage girls were reported in the 1950s.


2004 Pitcairn Islands sexual assault trial, Historical background
In 1999 Gail Cox, a police officer from Kent, UK serving a temporary assignment on Pitcairn, began uncovering allegations of sexual abuse. When a 15-year-old girl decided to press rape charges in 1999, criminal proceedings (code-named "Operation Unique") were set in motion. The charges include 21 counts of rape, 41 of indecent assault, and two of gross indecency with a child under 14. Over the following two years, police officers in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom interviewed every woman who had lived on Pitcairn in the past 20 years, as well as all of the accused men. Pitcairn Public Prosecutor Simon Moore (an Auckland Crown Solicitor who was the first lawyer appointed to the position by the British government for the purposes of the investigation) held the file.


2004 Pitcairn Islands sexual assault trial, Historical background
Australian Seventh-day Adventist pastor Neville Tosen, who spent two years on Pitcairn around the turn of the millennium, said that on his arrival, he had been taken aback by the conduct of the children. But he had not immediately realised what was happening. "I noticed worrying signs such as inexplicable mood swings," he said. "It took me three months to realise they were being abused." Tosen tried to bring the matter before the Island Council (the legislative body which doubles as the island's court), but was rebuffed. One Councillor told him, "Look, the age of consent has always been twelve and it doesn't hurt them."


2004 Pitcairn Islands sexual assault trial, Historical background
A study of island records confirmed anecdotal evidence that most girls bore their first child between the ages of 12 and 15. "I think the girls were conditioned to accept that it was a man's world and once they turned 12, they were eligible," Tosen said. Mothers and grandmothers were resigned to the situation, telling him that their own childhood experience had been the same; they regarded it as just a part of life on Pitcairn. One grandmother wondered what all the fuss was about. Tosen was convinced, however, that the early sexual experience was very damaging to the girls. "They can't settle or form solid relationships. They did suffer, no doubt about it," he said emphatically.


2004 Pitcairn Islands sexual assault trial, Historical background
Tosen opined that accounts of the Pitcairners' past transformation by Christianity, once popularised in missionary tracts, told only one side of the story. He noted that 13 of the original settlers were murdered, many in fights over women, before John Adams, the sole surviving mutineer, pacified them with the help of the Bible. "This is the island that the gospel changed, but the changes were only superficial," he said. "Deep down, they adhered to the mutineers' mentality. They must have known that their lifestyle was unacceptable, but it was too entrenched."


2004 Pitcairn Islands sexual assault trial, Historical background
In 1999, a New Zealander visiting the island, Ricky Quinn, was sentenced by island magistrate Jay Warren to 100 days in prison for underage sex with a 15-year-old Pitcairn girl.


2004 Pitcairn Islands sexual assault trial, Historical background
In 2002, the Queen-in-Council made the Pitcairn (Amendment) Order 2002, which paved the way for a trial based on Pitcairn law to be held in New Zealand in 2004. However, in 2004 the accused won a legal battle to be tried in Pitcairn. Three judges, several prosecution and defence lawyers, other court staff, and six journalists travelled from New Zealand to the island in late September for the seven-week trial. Their arrival doubled the number of people on the island during their stay. Witnesses living abroad gave evidence remotely by a video satellite link-up. The forty-five islanders were ordered to surrender their twenty or so guns, both in view of the heightened emotions and to avoid hunting accidents "because the island's population will swell by about 25 during the trial."


2004 Pitcairn Islands sexual assault trial, Historical background
As of April 2006, the cost of the trial amounted to NZ$14.1 million.