MANILA, Philippines ? (UPDATE 3) Amid an ongoing inquiry by the House of Representatives into alleged anomalies in the May 10 automated elections, the canvassing of votes for president and vice president by the lower and upper chambers will push through next week, Speaker Prospero Nograles said Wednesday.

Nograles made this assurance as the committee on electoral reforms and suffrage began looking into complaints raised by lawmakers themselves, many of them defeated candidates in the last elections.

?My job is to proclaim and proclaim accurately based on accurate count, genuine and duly executed authenticated canvass papers. That?s my job. I am not going to allow delays but will surely entertain debates. No railroads,? Nograles said.

On May 24, the House of Representatives and the Senate will convene in their respective chambers to draft the rules of canvassing. When the rules are approved, they will convene jointly in the building of the House as the national board of canvassers.

Makati Representative Teodoro Locsin Jr., chairman of the committee, also dispelled speculations the inquiry was being conducted to delay the proclamation of the president and vice president. He said he made sure that the votes for the president and vice president were not discussed in the hearing.

In both the tallies of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and its accredited arm, the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), Senator Benigno ?Noynoy? Aquino III enjoy a comfortable lead over closest rival, former president Joseph Estrada in the presidential race.

In the vice presidential contest, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay leads Senator Manuel Roxas II by about 800,000 votes in the PPCRV, but Roxas?s camp said that their candidate would still win by a slim margin in the final tally.

The two-hour hearing started at 1 p.m. with the showing of the video of the masked man. Many congressmen requested that the 30-minute video be played in full although Locsin said he did not believe in "masked persons," as he described the man on the video as looking like a Koala bear.

Comelec chairman Jose Melo, commissioners Gregorio Larrazabal and Rene Sarmiento, executive director Jose Tolentino and spokesman James Jimenez, and officials of the Smartmatic-TIM Inc., the poll body?s automation partner, attended the inquiry.

During the hearing, Melo dared the masked man to come out in the open and present proof of his claims.

Melo also assured the panel that the poll body was proceeding as scheduled with its canvassing.

When asked why the count on the vice presidential race appeared not to be moving, Melo said, ?we have the data, but we are not reporting out,? and stressed that it did not follow that they already knew the winner because there were still the pending results from Lanao del Sur, where a failure of elections was declared.

Locsin said the House leadership decided to call the inquiry to hear the complaints of some 30 congressmen ?who feel they were cheated? and amid allegations of manipulation of the PCOS machines, including the latest claim of a masked man who said that the votes of administration candidate Teodoro and Estrada were shaved to favor another presidential candidate.

Among the defeated candidates who were at the hearing were Representatives Annie Rosa Susano (Quezon City-2nd district), who ran for mayor; Matias Defensor (Quezon City-3rd district), who sought reelection; Teodulo Coquilla (Eastern Samar); Raul Gonzales Jr. (Iloilo City); Thomas Dumpit Jr. (La Union-2nd district); Candido Pancrudo Jr. (Bukidnon-1st district); Jonathan Dela Cruz (Abakada partylist); Monico Puentevella (Bacolod), who sought a mayoralty post; and Rufino Biazon (Muntinlupa), who ran for a senatorial post.

Locsin said that while he was satisfied with the proceedings of the first hearing, he was ?unhappy that there was no specific complaint [yet] by specific congressman.?

In a meeting with Nograles Tuesday, Locsin said very few of the complaints of his defeated colleagues had to do with the PCOS machines.

?It?s how the PCOS machines were handled or hidden,? he said.

?It?s possible that many of the anomalies are small time and they are used for the first time so therefore it is important to identify what are these things you can do with the PCOS machines,? he said.

Locsin continued that ?It is important to identify that and to identify who did it because that person could be appointed into the Comelec when it?s time so from a retail, marginal and small example of fraud, he will then implement it through the Comelec or through the Department of Interior and Local Government ...?

Questions were also raised if the election returns could be canvassed even without the digital signature of the board of election inspectors.

The hearing will resume at 1 p.m., Thursday.