The 2004 presidential campaign of Fernando Poe Jr. was formally launched on November 26, 2003, upon announcing his candidacy at the Manila Hotel in the City of Manila. Poe was the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP)'s nominee for President of the Philippines in the 2004 election. He chose Loren Legarda, the sitting Majority Floor Leader of the Philippine Senate, as his vice presidential running mate on January 1, 2004. A public figure in his movie career and known for his charitable but unpublicized endeavours, he targeted his candidacy at the same poor whom he championed in his films.Poe accepted the nomination in December 2003 and was to be the standard opposition bearer for the Philippines' 2004 presidential election. Some accounts portray him as a reluctant candidate who was only