Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III on Tuesday said that Sen. Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s request for a separate proclamation of the winning vice presidential candidate is "theoretically possible."
Pimentel, head of the Senate contingent to the canvassing, said the law does not bar the separate proclamations of president and vice president.
He said boards of canvassers at the provincial or municipal levels have separately proclaimed winners in local races.
However, Pimentel said the presidential and vice presidential contests are a different story.
“Theoretically, [separate proclamations of president and vice president] are possible but in practice, it has never been done before,” he told reporters ahead of the start of the Senate and House’s joint session.
Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has asked Congress, which will sit as the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC) starting Tuesday afternoon, to immediately proclaim incoming President Rodrigo Duterte since his lead has been clearly established.
The senator, however, expressed his “strong reservations” about the canvassing of results in the vice presidential race because of the alleged “irregularities” which he believed occurred in the May 9 polls.
One COC for president, VP
In a separate interview, House Majority Floor Leader Neptali Gonzales II questioned how Congress can carry out Marcos’ request for separate proclamations considering the NBOC will only scrutinize the same COC for president and vice president.
“Ayoko namang sabihin na I have already prejudged [the issue] pero ang nakikita ko lang, isang COC lang ang pinag-uusapan eh. If it’s good for the president, it has to be good for the vice president. If it is not good for the president, it must not be good for the vice president,” he said.
Asked if there is legal basis for Marcos’ proposal, Gonzales did not give a categorical reply but said: “How do you effect that?”
Quoting Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, who presided over the 2010 canvassing of votes for president and vice president, the House leader explained that the NBOC is mandated to canvass and tabulate the votes.
“It’s not a board of inquiry. Hindi ka naman diyan pwedeng mag-present ng ebidensya mo eh. Otherwise, kung bawat election result magpe-present ka ng ebidensya mo ng vote buying, etc., wala na tayong magiging katapusan,” he said.
Although Pimentel said rules set to be approved for the canvassing would allow for the legal counsels of each presidential and presidential candidate to raise objections regarding a COC, he said the protest must be specific.
“Hindi puwedeng wholesale na ‘yung election ang titirahin mo. You have to pinpoint which COC is affected by your allegation of irregularity or fraud,” he said.
Marcos’ camp has vowed to scrutinize each certificate of canvass (COC) which will be opened during the canvassing.
Both camps of Marcos and Liberal Party candidate Leni Robredo have claimed victory in the vice presidential race.
Source: GMA
