GMA Brandtalk
Tracking
Archives
ADVERTISEMENT
Filtered By: Topstories
News
Comelec proclaims six winning senatorial bets; Nancy Binay a no-show
By Amita Legaspi, GMA News
+
Make this your preferred source to get more updates from this publisher on Google.
(Updated 10:48 p.m.) After only three days of reading 72 of 304 certificates of canvass (COC), the Commission on Elections en banc, sitting as the National Board of Canvassers, proclaimed six winning senatorial candidates in the May 13 midterm elections Thursday evening.
The rest of the winners are expected to be announced Friday.
Partial results from the official canvassing showed that the six leading bets in the race are former MTRCB chairperson Grace Poe; re-electionist senators Loren Legarda, Francis Escudero, and Alan Peter Cayetano; Nancy Binay; and Aurora Rep. Sonny Angara.
Nancy Binay absent
Binay was not present during the proclamation and was represented by her lawyer, Donna Camitan. The other five who were proclaimed ran under the Liberal Party-led administration coalition.
Binay, daughter of Vice President Jejomar Binay, ran under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), which had asked the Comelec to defer the proclamation due to the delays in the transmission of poll results. UNA's motion was junked by the poll body earlier in the day.
Comelec Commissioner Lucenito Tagle said Binay's absence was related to UNA's petition.
However, Navotas City Rep. Toby Tiangco, UNA’s spokesperson, told GMA News Online that he did not know why Binay was not present, noting that she might not have been informed. “I don’t know i she knows that there is a proclamation.”
A touch of showbiz
The front-runner Poe, who wore a white dress, was accompanied by her mother the actress Susan Roces, her husband and children. Poe's arrival at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), where the canvassing was held, was greeted with cheers.
Legarda was accompanied by her son Leandro, her father Tony and her yaya, Nanay Fely. She wore a barong top with a Tinguian tribal necklace from Abra. Escudero, meanwhile, arrived with his girlfriend, actress Heart Evangelista.
Francis Escudero arrived with girlfriend Heart Evangelista. Both wore matching white outfits. Evangelista gave the newly reelected senator a peck on the cheek.
Asked how he felt now that he was proclaimed, Escudero said, "Makakahinga at makakatulog na."
Sonny Angara was with his family and father, Sen. Edgardo Angara. Cayetano was also accompanied by his wife, re-elected Taguig mayor Lani Cayetano.
Also present in the proclamation were Mother Lily Monteverde, former poll commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal, and Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting chairman Henrietta de Villa.
Alphabetical order
The Comelec commissioners took turns giving to the six candidates their respective certificates of proclamation.
Poll chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. clarified that "we don't have votes as yet" so the certificates were distributed in alphabetical order.
Camitan initially wanted to receive the certificate of proclamation for Binay during the program, but Brillantes thumbed down her request, saying she needs to wait for the formal proclamation to end before getting the document.
Camitan did not say why Binay was absent in the event.
Binay's non-appearance
However, Brillantes sees nothing unusual with Binay's non-appearance.
“Nothing unusual about it. In 2010, I represented Sen. Serge Osmeña and he did not appear. I, as his lawyer, went to the Comelec to get the certificate of proclamation. Yung certification of proclamation is your evidence of proclamation,” he said in an interview with reporters.
The poll chairman said the document is signed by all the commissioners.
“So as far as we are concerned, Nancy Binay has already been proclaimed. Hindi ko lang gusto e nasa kalagitnaan ng seremonyas biglang gumitna yung abugado,” he said, referring to the incident when Camitan stood up during the ceremony to get the certificate.
He said the lawyer could have gotten the document after the ceremony.
Vice President Jejomar Binay’s media officer Joey Salgado did not reply when asked why the younger Binay did not attend the proclamation. His daughter, who was criticized during the campaign for failing to appear at public debates, was castigated on social media for her absence at the proclamation.
The winning candidates will serve for six years starting June 30, 2013. — with Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Rouchelle R. Dinglasan, and Amita Legaspi/KBK/BM/HS/ELR/HS, GMA News
The rest of the winners are expected to be announced Friday.
Partial results from the official canvassing showed that the six leading bets in the race are former MTRCB chairperson Grace Poe; re-electionist senators Loren Legarda, Francis Escudero, and Alan Peter Cayetano; Nancy Binay; and Aurora Rep. Sonny Angara.
Canvassed ballots totalled 13,384,981 as of the 7th tally. That number represents 25.73 percent of the roughly 52 million registered voters for the 2013 elections. Comelec data show 31,534,159 voters actually voted. The canvassed ballots represent 42.45 percent of the total voter turnout.
As of the 7th tally the proclaimed senators-elect had the following number of votes cast and counted in their favor:
- POE, GRACE 6,978,111
- LEGARDA, LOREN 6,405,625
- CAYETANO, ALAN PETER 5,989,369
- ESCUDERO, CHIZ 5,944,573
- BINAY, NANCY 5,787,423
- ANGARA, EDGARDO 5,593,601
Nancy Binay absent
Binay was not present during the proclamation and was represented by her lawyer, Donna Camitan. The other five who were proclaimed ran under the Liberal Party-led administration coalition.
Binay, daughter of Vice President Jejomar Binay, ran under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), which had asked the Comelec to defer the proclamation due to the delays in the transmission of poll results. UNA's motion was junked by the poll body earlier in the day.
Comelec Commissioner Lucenito Tagle said Binay's absence was related to UNA's petition.
However, Navotas City Rep. Toby Tiangco, UNA’s spokesperson, told GMA News Online that he did not know why Binay was not present, noting that she might not have been informed. “I don’t know i she knows that there is a proclamation.”
A touch of showbiz
The front-runner Poe, who wore a white dress, was accompanied by her mother the actress Susan Roces, her husband and children. Poe's arrival at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), where the canvassing was held, was greeted with cheers.
Legarda was accompanied by her son Leandro, her father Tony and her yaya, Nanay Fely. She wore a barong top with a Tinguian tribal necklace from Abra. Escudero, meanwhile, arrived with his girlfriend, actress Heart Evangelista.
Francis Escudero arrived with girlfriend Heart Evangelista. Both wore matching white outfits. Evangelista gave the newly reelected senator a peck on the cheek.
Asked how he felt now that he was proclaimed, Escudero said, "Makakahinga at makakatulog na."
Sonny Angara was with his family and father, Sen. Edgardo Angara. Cayetano was also accompanied by his wife, re-elected Taguig mayor Lani Cayetano.
Also present in the proclamation were Mother Lily Monteverde, former poll commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal, and Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting chairman Henrietta de Villa.
Alphabetical order
The Comelec commissioners took turns giving to the six candidates their respective certificates of proclamation.
Poll chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. clarified that "we don't have votes as yet" so the certificates were distributed in alphabetical order.
Camitan initially wanted to receive the certificate of proclamation for Binay during the program, but Brillantes thumbed down her request, saying she needs to wait for the formal proclamation to end before getting the document.
Camitan did not say why Binay was absent in the event.
Binay's non-appearance
However, Brillantes sees nothing unusual with Binay's non-appearance.
“Nothing unusual about it. In 2010, I represented Sen. Serge Osmeña and he did not appear. I, as his lawyer, went to the Comelec to get the certificate of proclamation. Yung certification of proclamation is your evidence of proclamation,” he said in an interview with reporters.
The poll chairman said the document is signed by all the commissioners.
“So as far as we are concerned, Nancy Binay has already been proclaimed. Hindi ko lang gusto e nasa kalagitnaan ng seremonyas biglang gumitna yung abugado,” he said, referring to the incident when Camitan stood up during the ceremony to get the certificate.
He said the lawyer could have gotten the document after the ceremony.
Vice President Jejomar Binay’s media officer Joey Salgado did not reply when asked why the younger Binay did not attend the proclamation. His daughter, who was criticized during the campaign for failing to appear at public debates, was castigated on social media for her absence at the proclamation.
The winning candidates will serve for six years starting June 30, 2013. — with Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Rouchelle R. Dinglasan, and Amita Legaspi/KBK/BM/HS/ELR/HS, GMA News
Tags: eleksyon2013, comelec
More Videos
Most Popular
