Congressional canvass moved up to May 24

MANILA, Philippines - Eight of the 12 winning candidates for the Senate will be proclaimed in record time today by the Commission on Elections, but the nation will have to wait another week before Congress begins canvassing votes for president and vice president.

Speaker Prospero Nograles told reporters yesterday that he and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile had agreed to move up the start of the congressional canvass from May 31, when Congress is scheduled to resume session, to May 24.

Earlier, Nograles said mustering a quorum would not be a problem in the House of Representatives once it convenes, together with the Senate, for an early canvass of votes for president and vice president.

Nograles gave the assurance as problems with attendance threaten to spoil lawmakers’ plan to hold the canvassing earlier than the May 31 schedule.

“When we decide on a certain date (for the canvass), I will campaign for attendance and I do not think I will have a quorum problem because we need to do a constitutional duty,” Nograles said.

He was referring to the constitutional mandate for senators and congressmen to tabulate presidential and vice presidential votes and proclaim the winners.

There are concerns among lawmakers that some of their “graduating” colleagues as well as those who failed in their reelection bids might choose not to show up during the canvass.

Congress cannot convene as a canvassing board without a quorum. Nograles said he is amenable to the proposal of Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali Gonzales II, who is House senior deputy majority leader, to start an early canvass on May 24, or a week earlier than the scheduled resumption of the congressional session on May 31.

He also indicated that in the canvassing process, Congress would look into reports and claims by some candidates about alleged election fraud.

“Many of us want to know and try to understand some of the areas where there are allegations of pre-programmed determined results by the (precinct count optical scan) machines,” he said.

In particular, the camp of former President Joseph Estrada is alleging that fraud has benefited presidential race frontrunner Liberal Party standard-bearer Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.

In the unofficial tally of votes by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) and giant television networks, Aquino is leading Estrada, his closest opponent, by more than five million votes.

Despite Aquino’s wide lead, the deposed president has refused to concede.

He told ABS-CBN News Channel early this week that he would accept the result of the congressional canvass and would not protest it if it is established that he really lost to Aquino.

Some House allies of Aquino said the plan of Estrada’s camp might delay the vote tally.

“It could become a protracted proceeding. It could become a repeat of the 2004 presidential canvass, which took more than two weeks,” one congressman said.

He said Nograles and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, an Estrada ally, would play a key role in the Congress tally since they would preside over it, although they could delegate such role.

Enrile has apparently won a new term under Estrada’s Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino, along with Estrada’s son Jinggoy.

During the congressional canvass of the results of the 2004 elections, allies of then presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr. led by Sen. Edgardo Angara tried to have Congress examine the precinct-level election returns, but were turned down by the canvassing board.

Meanwhile, the Comelec has expressed hopes that the fruits of the automated polls would not be wasted by a delayed start of the canvassing of votes for president and vice president.

“It’s their prerogative obviously and traditionally that’s when they do it,” Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said, referring to the lawmakers’ mandate to canvass the results.

“But then again the practice of doing it in the last week of May – maybe you can think of it as an artifact of the manual system,” he said.

“We are used to it but we don’t want to see the gains of the automation not maximized,” he added. 

8 senators proclaimed today

The Comelec is set to make history when it proclaims today the top eight winning senators just five days after the polls.

“This is the fastest. Before, it took weeks to canvass. This is the fastest in history,” said Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal.

He said this year’s election may earn a place in history for having “the most number of presidential candidates to concede even before the start of the official count.”

Larrazabal said the top eight senatorial bets are already assured of victory even if the canvassing of votes is not yet complete.

Based on canvassed results as of 11 a.m. yesterday, Ramon Revilla was still leading with 15 million votes.

Trailing Revilla was Jinggoy Estrada (14.5 million), Miriam Defensor-Santiago (13.3 million), Franklin Drilon (12.3 million), Juan Ponce Enrile (12.1 million), Pilar Juliana Cayetano (10.6 million), Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (10 million), Ralph Recto (9.8 million), Sergio Osmeña III (9.3 million), Vicente Sotto III (9.2 million), Manuel Lapid (8.5 million) and Teofisto Guingona III (8.2 million).  

Not in a hurry

Despite the certainty of victory, Aquino said he is no hurry to get proclaimed and would rather leave it up to Congress to decide when to convene as the National Board of Canvassers.

“I would leave it up to Congress to decide on the (schedule) of the canvassing,” he said in a text message to The STAR.

Aquino is in Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac as a security precaution while waiting for his proclamation, and as advised by retired Air Force Major Gen. Jose Angel Aquino Honrado, who is in charge of his security.

Honrado had also served Aquino’s late mother during her six-year term. With Sheila Crisostomo and Delon Porcalla