NBOC shoots down Marcos camp request for separate canvassing for president, VP

The joint panel of the Senate and the House of Representative, sitting as the National Board of Canvassers, shot down a request by the camp of Sen. Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. to canvass separately the votes for president and vice president.

At the first day of the canvassing at the Batasang Pambansa, lawyer Didagen Dilangalen, a part of Marcos’ legal team, took to the podium even before the first ballot box had been opened to ask that canvassing of votes for the two positions be done separately. He cited the “hotly contested” nature of the vice presidential race

Dilangalen said a separate canvcass  would allow incoming president Rodrigo Duterte to be proclaimed as soon as possible, noting that virtually all of his rivals have conceded, and the NBOC could proceed carefully with the tallying of votes for the vice presidential race.

"For obvious reasons, we cannot proceed with the vice presidential canvass as fast as we would like to do in the presidential race. The vice presidential position is tightly and hotly contested. We should proceed with caution and examine each certificate of canvass—both electronically transmitted and manually transmitted," he said.

"Separate canvassing for president and vice president is not only appropriate, it is likewise perfectly legal," Dilangalen added.

But Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, head of the Senate contingent for the canvassing, stopped Dilangalen in the middle of his speech and said that the joint congressional panel will proceed with the canvassing on a “per COC (certificate of canvass) basis.”

When Dilangalen insisted on having separate canvassing for president and vice president, Majority Floor Leader Neptali Gonzales II, head of the House contingent, said the joint panel will proceed with the canvassing in accordance with what is provided for by the rules of canvassing approved by both houses of Congress.

"Should there be an observation or objection, that will be made at the proper time for a particular COC," he told Dilangalen.

Gonzales said the motion of Marcos' lawyer for a separate canvassing cannot be recognized because he is not part of the joint panel.

"At best, you can make that [motion] as a manifestation," he told Dilangalen.

Gonzales then asked Dilangalen to take his seat or he would ask the Secretary General to make him do so.

After a brief pause, Dilangalen left the podium and took his seat. The joint panel then proceeded to start the canvass with COCs from Davao del Sur.

Congress started its session for the canvassing of votes at 2:57 p.m., nearly an hour behind schedule. —KBK/JST, GMA News