FILE PHOTO: Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” F. Zubiri. Voltaire Domingo of Senate PRIB
MANILA, Philippines — A visibly irate Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri on Tuesday night “admonished” the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for the missing certificates of canvass (COCs) from at least three provinces, which led to the suspension of canvassing of votes for president and vice president by Congress.
The two chambers of Congress are currently convened as the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC) to canvass the votes for president and vice president and eventually proclaim the winners in the May 9 polls.
“They have only one job and one job to do, the provincial election supervisors, which is to insert the COCs of the province of the results of the president and vice president into the ballot box and deliver it to the Senate,” Zubiri said.
“One job and one job only. How can they be remiss of that job that is constitutionally mandated for them to do? Therefore we admonish the Comelec for this non-action or non-appearance of these COCs,” he added.
Zubiri’s pronouncements came after COCs from Surigao del Sur, Pampanga, and Sultan Kudarat were not found inside the ballot boxes that were transmitted to the Senate and was opened during the canvassing.