Call for Early Proclamation of Leading Senate Candidates
Representative Rodante Marcoleta from Sagip Party-list has asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to proclaim the top six candidates in the partial and unofficial Senate race count. He emphasized that with 97.23% of election returns already transmitted, the current standings are unlikely to change significantly.
Marcoleta, who is currently ranked sixth with 14,895,858 votes, noted in his motion to Comelec, “As of writing, 97.23% of election returns have already been transmitted, with herein movant, senatorial candidate Rodante ‘Dante’ Marcoleta, currently ranking 6th in the senatorial race, having garnered a total of 14,895,858 votes.” He believes the remaining votes will not affect the top six positions.
Statistical Improbability of Ranking Changes
The congressman pointed out that even if the remaining 2.77% of election returns get counted, the votes received by candidates ranked seventh to twelfth will not be enough to surpass the top six. Therefore, he respectfully asked Comelec to consider proclaiming the leading candidates early if it is deemed statistically improbable for their rankings to change.
He stated, “Hence, may we respectfully pray that, should this Honorable Commission determine that it is statistically improbable for the rankings of the leading senatorial candidates to be altered based on the official canvass returns, it should consider allowing the early proclamation of the top-ranking Senators whose positions can no longer be reasonably contested.”
Concerns Over Vote Discrepancies
Along with the request for early proclamation, Marcoleta also sought an explanation from Comelec regarding alleged discrepancies and duplication in the partial unofficial vote counts. These concerns add to the urgency for clarity and transparency in the ongoing canvassing process.
Context of the Senate Race and Canvassing Process
Marcoleta is among 12 senatorial candidates endorsed by the PDP-Laban party. The party is currently led by former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is facing legal challenges abroad. The Senate race is being closely watched as votes are being tallied and verified.
On Tuesday, Comelec convened as the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC) to begin the official canvassing of votes for senatorial and party-list candidates from the recent 2025 elections. The NBOC aims to proclaim the 12 winning senators by Saturday, May 17.
The use of the exact 4-word keyphrase early proclamation of top senate candidates is critical in this context, as it reflects the ongoing push to speed up the announcement of the leading winners amid the final stages of vote counting.
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