Canvassing of presidential, VP votes begins
Congress in a joint session on Tuesday officially started the canvassing of the president and vice presidential results with the approval of the canvassing rules.
The official canvassing for president and vice president began after Senate President Franklin Drilon and House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. moved for the approval of the canvassing rules after the joint session convened around 4 p.m.
Congress held its joint session for an hour for the opening and breaking of seal of the ballot boxes for local absentee voting before suspending session around 5 p.m.
READ: Congress convenes to canvass President, VP votes
Shortly after, Belmonte and Drilon went back to the podium and said the joint session would open the remaining manually counted and physically delivered certificates of canvass (COCs) from the overseas absentee voting which were not electronically transmitted.
As of press time, Congress is opening the ballot boxes and pouches which contained the COCs and election returns from the overseas absentee votes.
Thereafter, the joint session would suspend the session and set the tallying of the votes at 2 p.m. on Wednesday.
The Congress approved the canvassing rules, ignoring the objection of Abakada Rep. Jonathan Dela Cruz who wanted to clarify certain provisions of the rules for canvassing.
Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III earlier wanted to amend the canvassing rules to allow the issues for the positions of president and vice president to be tackled separately, but Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano said the joint canvassing committee already allows this to be done.
Cayetano said tackling the issues for president and vice president separately is already in the “inherent powers (of the joint canvassing committee) to decide on the merits” of such objections.
Sotto asked that the issues to be tackled separately for president and vice president, as the vice presidential canvass is expected to be tough with Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. questioning the results that showed Liberal Party’s candidate Camarines Sur Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo leading with over 200,000 votes.
READ: Bongbong renews ‘strong reservations’ in VP count in speech
Marcos claimed there was massive vote-buying and that the change in the computer command of the transparency server shaved his votes while increasing those for Robredo.
Abakada Rep. Dela Cruz, who served as Marcos’ campaign adviser, moved to seek clarifications on certain provisions of the canvassing rules, but his motions were subsequently snubbed by Belmonte and Drilon to move for the approval of the canvassing rules by voice voting.
Dela Cruz also claimed the positions for president and vice president have separate COCs in Pangasinan.
However, this was refuted by Mandaluyong Rep. Majority Floor Leader Neptali Gonzales II, who said as far as he knows, there is only one COC for the top two positions in the land.
READ: Congress secures ballots for canvassing of President, VP votes
After the approval of canvassing rules, Drilon and Belmonte led the opening of the electronically transmitted COCs.
The Congress leaders also led the opening of the padlock and breaking of seal of the ballot box that contained the COC for the local absentee voting.
Congress initially set the opening of the joint session at 2 p.m. but it only opened around 4 p.m.
Drilon named the following as members of the joint canvassing committee from the Senate: Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III as chairperson; Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, Teofisto “TG” Guingona III, Sergio “Serge” Osmena III and Ralph Recto from the majority; and Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile and Vicente “Tito” Sotto III from the minority.
Drilon named as alternative members Senators Cynthia Villar and Jose Victor “JV” Ejercito.
Meanwhile, from the House of Representatives, Belmonte named the following as members of the joint canvassing committee: Gonzales as chairperson; Dasmarinas Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr., Marikina Rep. Romero Federico “Miro” Quimbo, Oriental Mindoro Rep Reynaldo Umali, Cagayan De Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro from the majority; and 1-Bap Rep. Silvestre Bello III from the minority.
Belmonte named as alternative members of the joint canvassing committee Pampanga Rep. Oscar Rodriguez, Akbayan Rep. Ibarra “Barry” Gutierrez III, and Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. from the majority; and San Juan Rep. Ronaldo Zamora from the minority. RAM
