Remaining Senate winners to be proclaimed

Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections agreed to proclaim Saturday evening all the remaining winners in the Senate race, including those who did not attend their proclamation the night before, one of the winners himself disclosed.

Brillantes said Comelec, sitting as the National Board of Canvassers, will proclaim Cynthia Villar, Joseph Victor Ejercito Estrada, and Gregorio Honasan, and Aquilino Pimentel III and Antonio Trillanes 1V after the poll body received all local certificates of canvass around 5:30 p.m.

Pimentel and Trillanes should have been proclaimed on Friday along with Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, but weren’t able to attend after Pimentel felt “ill” and Trillanes was out of town and could not immediately travel back to Manila.

“They are putting up, I think, five chairs. It looks like the eight, ninth, 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th   [placers],” Pimentel said.

“This will be my first time to be proclaimed by the Comelec itself. I’m happy. At least it’s a vindication of my cause and at the same time, redemption of Comelec,” he said, adding that the poll body’s image “has changed.”

Pimentel has questioned the early proclamation of the top six – Grace Poe, Loren Legarda, Alan Cayetano, Frances “Chiz” Escudero, Nancy Binay, and Edgardo “Sonny” Angara – Thursday, calling it “premature.”

“The reason yesterday no longer applies. It’s no longer present now,” noting that the remaining unaccounted votes numbered a “maximum of 300,000” as per the Comelec’s count.

He said the figure was not enough to alter the ranking of the 12th and 13th placers.

“The lead of the 12^th placer from the 13^th is 600,000 votes so we are in a situation,w hich I always say that before any proclamation, the uncounted votes should not be enough to change the official results,” he said.

In 13^th is Richard “Dick” Gordon.