Senate of the Philippines building, Pasay City (Photo courtesy to Senate-PRIB)
MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will proclaim the 12 winning senators on Wednesday but their final ranking can’t be determined yet pending the result of the special polls in Lanao del Sur on May 24.
Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said the senators will instead be proclaimed based on the number of votes.
“There will be no standing or ranking in the meantime since we will wait for the completion of Lanao del Sur [special polls],” he said in a press briefing.
He sid the Commission already made a decision that the remaining votes that are yet to be submitted or transmitted will no longer affect the magic 12.
“Iyon pong Lanao del Sur, hindi na po natin mahihintay, mahirap hintayin, dahil 24 po ang Tubaran, ang special election. So, the most na makapagpadala po sila ng COC (Certificates of Canvass), baka po [May] 24. And therefore, kung saka-sakali baka po 24, 25 ,26 tayo makapagproklama, kung hihintayin po natin (We can no longer wait for COCs from Lanao del Sur because the special elections in Tubaran will be on May 24, so the most they can transmit the COC, by the 24th maybe. And therefore, we might proclaim by 24, 25, 26, if we'd wait for it),” Comelec Commissioner George Garcia said at the "Laging Handa" public briefing.
He said canvassing will continue even after the proclamation of the 12 senators to make sure all votes are accounted for.
Partial and unofficial tallies on Monday showed the top 12 senatorial candidates are Robin Padilla, Loren Legarda, Raffy Tulfo, Sherwin Gatchalian, Francis Escudero, Mark Villar, Alan Peter Cayetano, Miguel Zubiri, Joel Villanueva, JV Ejercito, Risa Hontiveros, and Jinggoy Estrada.
The National Board of Canvassers has yet to release the official tally as of posting time.
The winning senators are allowed to bring along five companions at the Philippine International Convention Center Forum Tent in Pasay City.
The representatives of partial winning party-lists or those guaranteed at least one seat will be announced May 19.
Nominees of party-lists with pending disqualification cases will not be proclaimed but the party-list can be proclaimed, according to Garcia. (PNA)
