Senate President Franklin Drilon formally receives first ballot box from San Juan. MAILA AGER/INQUIRER.net
The Senate has started receiving ballot boxes containing Certificates of Canvass (COCs) and Election Returns (ERs) for the May 9 presidential and vice presidential elections.
Senate President Franklin Drilon received the first ballot box from San Juan City around 9:40 am on Wednesday.
“We are performing our Constitutional duty. Under the constitution, Congress acts as the National Board of Canvassers to proclaim the president and the vice president. The Comelec (Commission on Elections) is not the body that will proclaim the president and the vice president but it’s Congress,” Drilon later told reporters.
The Senate is mandated, under Article VII, Section 4 of the Constitution, to receive the returns of every election for President and Vice President, duly certified by the board of Canvassers of each province and city.
All ballot boxes will then be transmitted to Congress, through the President of the Senate.
“Pursuant to the Congress, we received this morning the first batch of Certificates of Canvass for the City of San Juan which contain the Certificates of Canvass and election returns for the president and vice president,” Drilon said.
“All of these Certificates of Canvass will be delivered to the Senate and we will physically transfer these to the Batasan Complex in Quezon City where the canvassing will take place,” he said.
Drilon did not discount the possibility of partial deliveries of the COCs and ERs to the House of Representatives.
While Congress will resume its sessions on May 23, the Senate leader said they will perform their legislative functions first before convening as the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC).
“At the latest, we will convene the National Board of Canvassers by Wednesday, May 25,” Drilon said.
He could not give a time frame when Congress acting as the NBOC could proclaim the next president and vice president.
“I don’t see any problem in the presidency but given the very tight race for the vice president, I would refrain from making any prediction…”
“I have done this before in 2004, we proclaimed the president five days before the expiry of the period. We have until June 30 to proclaim the president and the vice president,” Drilon added. CDG
READ: Comelec turns into board of canvassers