The Commission on Elections (Comelec) confirmed it will move forward with the full proclamation of all 12 winning senators for the Eleksyon 2025, despite calls to immediately declare the top six candidates based on the partial and unofficial vote count.
Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia urged candidates to be patient, reaffirming that the poll body is targeting the earliest proclamation date ever—by the weekend of May 17.
“The National Board of Canvassers (NBOC) decided that the proclamation should cover all 12 senators. Since we’re already close to completing the count in less than a week, we ask for a little more patience,” Garcia stated.
While partial proclamations can occur under certain conditions, Garcia emphasized that the Comelec prefers to wait for the full canvassing of all 175 Certificates of Canvass (COCs), unless the remaining votes will not significantly affect the rankings.
Sagip Party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta, who currently ranks sixth in the partial count with over 14.9 million votes, had filed a motion urging Comelec to proclaim the top six senators early.
Despite the motion, Garcia said the Comelec will proceed as planned. He highlighted the rapid pace of this year’s canvassing—58 COCs tallied on the first day, with hopes to process 100 more by Wednesday, potentially reaching 158 COCs by day’s end.
Garcia called this progress historic, noting that Comelec is striving to establish new standards for efficiency and transparency, while still prioritizing electoral integrity.