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Comelec junks UNA motion, paves way to proclaim 6 Senate bets


(Updated 6:10 p.m.) The proclamation of six winning senatorial candidates will proceed Thursday night after the Commission of Elections en banc—sitting as National Board of Canvassers—junked the motion of United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) to defer it.

“The commission has unanimously resolved to deny [motion of UNA]. We will proceed with the canvassing and the proclamation,” poll chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said during NBOC’s session after emerging from the Comelec en banc’s meeting.

UNA’s counsel, lawyer Claro Certeza, said they will file a motion for reconsideration, but Brillantes said decisions by the en banc are not subject to reconsideration.

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said six winning senatorial candidates will be proclaimed Thursday night.

As of posting time, the top six in the NBOC’s partial official tally were Grace Poe, Loren Legarda, Alan Peter Cayetano, Francis Escudero, Nancy Binay and Sonny Angara.

In 2010, NBOC proclaimed nine of the 12 winners five days after the May 10 elections. The three others were announced three days later.

After the six winning senators are formally named, the NBOC will order the temporary stop in the release of unofficial results from the Comelec’s transparency server in order not to muddle with the proclamation.

UNA’s motion was filed Wednesday night at the main office of Comelec in Intramuros, Manila.

UNA wanted to suspend the announcement of winners until the Comelec explains “the suspiciously slow transmission of election results from the remaining 30 percent of PCOS machines.”

In a press statement, UNA also expressed apprehension over reports that a Smartmatic personnel was caught manipulating the election data at the PPCRV Command Center in Pope Pius Center. — LBG/KBK/RSJ, GMA News
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