House names 7-man canvassing committee

The House of Representatives has completed the list of its seven-man canvassing panel that would ensure the impartial and expeditious conduct of canvassing of presidential and vice presidential votes. The Lower Chamber’s canvassing committee will be headed by outgoing Majority Leader and Mandaluyong Rep Neptali Gonzales II.

The list of the canvassing panel has yet to be approved by Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte Jr., Gonzales said.

He said sitting as panel members from the House majority are Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr., Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro. The alternate members are Pampanga Rep. Oscar Rodriguez and Akbayan partylist Rep. Barry Gutierrez.

1-BAP partylist Rep. Silvestre Bello III will also join the panel as part of the House Minority bloc, according to Gonzales. The alternate member is Minority Leader and San Juan City Rep. Ronaldo “Ronnie” Zamora.

The House of Representatives and Senate will jointly convene as the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC) today, May 24.

As of this writing, both houses of Congress are set to adopt the concurrent resolution to call the joint public session on May 24, at the House of Representatives.

Belmonte, who earlier relinquished the Lower Chamber’s leadership to Davao del Norte Rep.-elect Pantaleon Alvarez earlier, assured the expeditious and impartial conduct of the canvassing which is set to start tomorrow.

“It is our bounded duty and on my part it’s something very important to me to see to it that the canvass is done objectively, expeditiously and differences in political affiliation will make no difference to me,” Belmonte, vice chairman of the Liberal Party said.