Presidential, VP canvass starts
NBOC rejects move for early proclamation of Duterte
The Senate and the House of Representatives, formally convening as the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC), started last night counting the election returns for the 2016 presidential and vice presidential elections.
The two chambers suspended session and will convene again at 2 p.m. today to start the canvassing of votes. However, inspection and opening of returns continues.
With 14 senators and 181 congressmen present, Senate President Franklin Drilon and Speaker Feliciano Belmonte declared a quorum of their respective legislative chambers and immediately proceeded to adopt the rules that would govern canvassing.
The body also proceeded to elect the 14-man board of canvassers that will conduct the actual counting of returns.
Elected on the Senate side were Senators Aquilino Pimentel Jr. as chairman, Edgardo Angara, Teofisto Guingona Jr., Sergio Osmeña III, Ralph Recto, and Juan Ponce Enrile as members. Enrile will represent the Senate minority with the consent of Senate Minority Leader and Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III.
Elected alternates are Senators Cynthia Villar for
the majority and JV Ejercito for the minority.
The Lower House will be represented by Majority Leader and Mandaluyong City Rep. Neptali Gonzales II, Reps. Elpidio Barzaga (NUP, Cavite), Romero Quimbo (LP, Marikina City), Reynaldo Umali (LP, Mindoro Oriental), Rufus Rodriguez (Independent, Cagayan de Oro City), Fredenil Castro (NUP, Capiz), and Silvestre Bello III (1-BAP Party-list).
Bello will represent the House minority, which also designated Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora as alternate. Majority bloc alternate is Pampanga Rep. Oscar Rodriguez.
Drilon and Belmonte also led the initial opening of ballot boxes that contained the certificates of canvass from the local absentee voting which comprised results of voting of soldiers, policemen, media persons and others who are unable to cast their vote on May 9 due to official duties.
The joint session quickly approved the rules that would govern the canvassing despite objections from Abakada Rep. Jonathan dela Cruz.
Dela Cruz wanted to propose amendments to Section 10 of the rules that provides the resolution of objections and other contentious issues that may be raised by any party involved in the presidential and vice presidential race.
Earlier, Sotto called for an amendment to the rule by making it clear that in no case shall the proclamation of winning candidate or the result of the counting on any position be prevented when the candidate concerned is not involved in any pending question.
Referring to De la Cruz’s manifestation, Gonzales said the amendment approved by the Senate already covers the concern of the party-list lawmaker.
Under the revised rule, issues and protests will be decided separately for the presidential and vice presidential races.
No partial proclamation Meanwhile, Gonzales rejected the call of vice-presidential candidate Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. for an early proclamation of incoming president Davao City Mayor Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte.
The House leader said they cannot give in to Marcos’ proposal, explaining that there is only one COC for the presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
“We are talking of only one COC here, both for president and vice president. What is good for the president has to be good for the vice president,” he told reporters.
“Never been in the history of congressional canvass in the last three presidential elections that the winning presidential and vice presidential candidates have been proclaimed separately,” Gonzales said, referring to the 1998, 2004, and 2010 presidential polls.
The Liberal Party stalwart, who was part of the NBOC in the 2010 presidential elections, said Marcos’ proposal may be feasible if the joint canvassing committee (JCC) decides to vote on Duterte’s early proclamation.
Marcos on Monday proposed the immediate proclamation of Duterte being the clear and uncontested in the presidential race.
Citing doubts on the integrity of results in vice presidential race, the son of late President Ferdinand E. Marcos “humbly but firmly reiterates his strong reservation” in the canvassing of the vice presidential votes.
Gonzales even explained that their mandate as the NBOC is to canvass and tally the presidential and vice presidential votes and “not to act as a Board of Inquiry.”