MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – For critics, the supposedly rushed proclamations of winning senators cast doubt on the electoral process. The poll chief believes otherwise.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) chair Sixto Brillantes Jr, in fact, said the early proclamations of 9 senators as of Friday, May 17, build confidence in the electoral process. “It will show that the automated system is a fast system; we proclaim,” Brillantes said. (Watch more in the video below.)

Brillantes explained that this year, the Comelec, sitting as the national board of canvassers (NBOC), proclaimed 9 senators in only 4 days.

In 2010, he noted, it took the NBOC 5 days to proclaim the first 9 senators. The board proclaimed the rest of the senators 3 days later.

The chairman also said quick proclamations will quell apprehensions over election results.

Earlier, Rappler reported that only about 3 million votes are left to be canvassed. The NBOC, by early Friday evening, had tallied certificates of canvass (COCs) from 67 provinces, 23 cities, and 23 overseas absentee voting posts, including the 10 most vote-rich provinces.

The latest canvass report accounts for about 74.33% of registered voters nationwide, or 39.17 million of 52 million registered voters. 

Speeding up

A veteran election lawyer, Brillantes has consistently stressed a key advantage of the automated system – the quick transmission of results and proclamation of candidates. In earlier interviews, he said this prevents election operators from manipulating results during the canvassing process, especially at the local level.

This year, however, local election officers encountered “technical problems” in the transmission of results, which the poll chief said, he would not yet disclose. Watchdogs, like the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections, said this may lead to cheating.

The problem has prompted the Comelec to implement new measures to speed up the process. The new rules include the following: 

• allowing regional offices to decide to disregard uncanvassed votes as long as these wouldn’t affect the standing of candidates; and

• using faxed tallies, called grouped canvass reports, as part of the basis for proclaiming new senators

The NBOC on Friday thus proclaimed social entrepreneur Bam Aquino, and re-electionist senators Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes as new senators. (Watch more in the video below.) 

On Thursday, May 16, the NBOC proclaimed 6 others – Grace Poe, Loren Legarda, Alan Cayetano, Chiz Escudero, Nancy Binay, and Sonny Angara. The board proclaimed them on the basis of only 24% of certificates of canvass (COCs). (Watch more in the video below.)

Various political camps, led by the the United Nationalist Alliance, however protested the proclamations, saying they were too early. 

Nevertheless, the NBOC continues canvassing votes on Saturday, May 18, and is expected to proclaim a few more senators. – Rappler.com