Comelec to proclaim winning party-lists without announcing number of seats obtained

(Updated 6:34 p.m.) The Commision on Elections (Comelec), sitting as the National Board of Canvassers, will proclaim leading party-list groups without announcing the number of seats they obtained.

Poll chief Sixto Brillantes Jr. said Wednesday they arrived at this decision after hearing the manifestations of various groups appealing for an early proclamation.

“We will be proclaiming the parties, not the number of seats,” he said.

Brillantes said they would deliberate on Thursday afternoon on “how many will be proclaimed, whether those with guaranteed seats or including those without guaranteed seats.”

He said, in a separate chance interview, that 12 party-list groups reached the two percent threshold in their official count, but refused to give names.

Party-lists that garnered two percent of total votes cast are guaranteed one seat. Meanwhile, the Comelec would be calculating the number of additional seats for those that exceeded the two-percent threshold using the formula stated in the Supreme Court ruling Banat vs. Comelec.

Brillantes said the Comelec may proclaim the party-list groups that reached the two percent threshold either on Thursday or Friday. At present, the poll body is awaiting the high court’s ruling on the appeal of some disqualified party-list groups.

The Comelec has yet to canvass 68 of 304 certificates of canvass (COCs) as of Wednesday afternoon. Brillantes said this covers over 100,000 votes.

In her Twitter account, Commissioner Grace Padaca said the uncanvassed votes came from overseas absentee centers from 80 countries that registered no votes. She said there are 3,120 registered voters all in all in those countries.

Based on Comelec’s first tally of considated votes covering 110 COCs, Buhay Hayaang Yumabon is ahead, followed by A-Teachers, Bayan Muna, 1-CARE, Akbayan, Ako Bicol, Abono, among others.

The party-list is a proportional representational system for the marginalized and underrepresented sectors. — Marc Jayson Cayabyab/KBK, GMA News