Comelec eyes to proclaim winning party-lists Wednesday night or Thursday

The Commission on Elections (Comelec), sitting as the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC), is targeting to proclaim the winning party-list groups in the 2022 national and local elections on Wednesday night or Thursday this week, acting poll spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said.

“The NBOC for senators and party-list is very hopeful and optimistic that we will be able to proclaim the 63 seats for the party-list system, if not tonight, tomorrow po, May 26,” Laudiangco said in an ANC interview.

The Comelec earlier set the proclamation of winning party-list groups on May 19 but decided to postpone it after a failure of elections was reported in Tubaran, Lanao del Sur. The province is the remaining area which certificate of canvass (COC) is yet to be canvassed by the NBOC. 

Lanao del Sur conducted its special elections on May 24, involving 12 barangays and 15 clustered precincts.

Comelec Commissioner George Garcia said that as of 4:16 a.m. on May 25, Wednesday, the 173rd COC for the 2022 elections has already been transmitted.

The NBOC will resume its session at 3 p.m. on Wednesday to finish the canvassing of votes for the party-list groups at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.

Based on NBOC’s latest canvass report released last week, ACT-CIS, 1-Rider Partylist, Tingog, 4PS, Ako Bicol, and Sagip were leading the party-list race.

The law provides that a party-list group that gets at least 2% of the total number of votes cast in the party-list race will be entitled to at least one seat in the House of Representatives.

Those who exceed the 2% threshold will be entitled to additional seats proportionate to the number of votes cast, but the total number of seats for each winning party-list group cannot exceed three.

Those who do not meet the 2% requirement may still be able to secure a seat in the House because the party-list law also requires that 20% of House members come from the party-list ranks.—AOL, GMA News