By Butch Fernandez & Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz
SENATE President Franklin M. Drilon, who is also an official of the ruling party, offered a view contrary to that by the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC) on the proclamation of winners in the May 9 presidential elections.
Drilon, who cochairs the joint congressional body canvassing the votes cast in the recently concluded poll, told reporters he does not see the quick proclamation of incoming President Rodrigo R. Duterte by the NBOC, which is composed of members of both Houses.
“That is difficult to say,” Drilon said in an ambush interview, when asked if the presidential canvass proceedings can be fastracked, given the seemingly insurmountable lead posted by Duterte over five other aspirants in early election results.
The NBOC official count on Wednesday showed Duterte increasing his lead by 2 million votes over his losing rivals, who include Vice President Jejomar C. Binay, Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Grace Poe, Interior Secretary Manuel A. Roxas II and the late Roy Señeres.
“We just have to go through [the canvassing],” Drilon said on Monday.
He pointed out, however, that the immediate approval of the rules for the congressional canvass indicates that “we can finish this earlier than we have scheduled.”
“We will try to finish it as soon as possible,” the Senate president added.
Drilon’s statements go against some issued by NBOC members, like Liberal Party Rep. Romero Quimbo of Marikina. Quimbo said in a text message sent to reporters on Thursday the next president and vice president could be proclaimed together by Wednesday.
“We’re eyeing their proclamation next week.”
Meanwhile, the camp of vice-presidential candidate and Sen. Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has asked the NBOC to closely scrutinize all certificate of canvass (COCs) for the tight vice- presidential race, after several questions have been raised regarding the reported irregular and illegal change of the script of the transparency server in the middle of the transmission of votes in May 9 by Smartmatic-Total Information Management (TIM) Corp.
According to the unofficial count of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), Duterte of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) won by a landslide, while Liberal Party vice-presidential candidate Leni Robredo has at least a 200,000-vote advantage against Marcos.
Concede
LAWYER Salvador Panelo, Duterte’s chief counsel for the election canvassing, said presidential contender Santiago should consider conceding for a swift proclamation of Duterte.
“If [Santiago] would consider conceding today, the work of the joint congressional canvassing panel would be considerably eased, paving the way for President-elect Duterte’s swift proclamation,” Panelo said in a news conference.
Amado Valdez, also a cocounsel for Duterte said “if Marcos wants a separate canvass for the vice presidency, he should get [Santiago] to concede first.”
Earlier, the NBOC has denied the motion of Marcos’s lawyer Didagen Dilangalen for the immediate proclamation of Duterte.
House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II said it is the Constitutional duty of the NBOC to canvass the votes.
Panelo explained should Defensor-Santiago decide to concede, the camp of Marcos may call for an expeditious canvass for the presidency without prejudice to a subsequent separate canvass for the vice presidency.
“Congress, sitting as NBOC, the Filipino people and the international community, can thereby focus on canvassing the votes for Sen. Santiago’s running mate, Sen. Marcos, and all volunteer-lawyers for the Duterte-Marcos ticket can now train all their guns to protect Marcos’s votes,” he added.
The joint Congressional proceedings is expected to finish the canvassing of votes cast in the presidential and vice presidential elections before June 30, when the six-year term of outgoing President Benigno S. Aquino III expires.