Comelec: No proclamation of winning senatorial bets Wednesday evening

(Updated 10:31 p.m.) The Commisson on Elections has canceled the proclamation of winners in the senatorial race scheduled for Wednedsay evening, Elections chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said. Brillantes, on Tuesday, had projected that they would be able to proclaim all the 12 winners by Wednesday night. But the low turnout of certificates of canvass prevented them from doing so. He said they have yet to decide if Thursday's planned proclamation would be partial or would involve the complete list of winning senatorial candidates. As of posting time, the Comelec, sitting as the National Board of Canvassers, has canvassed 54 out of the 304 total certificates of canvass. But of those canvassed only 21 have been included in the official tally. Brillantes said they can proclaim at least two winners Wednesday but the en banc “would rather wait for a more substantial number.” “We already called the first and second (winners) and told them they will not be expecting any proclamation tonight. They most probably will be proclaimed tomorrow together with several others,” he said. In 2010, the NBOC proclaimed nine of the 12 winning senatorial candidates five days after the May 10 elections. The remaining three were proclaimed three days later.  . — Amita Legaspi and Marc Jayson Cayabyab/RSJ, GMA News