National Board of Canvassers convenes for Eleksyon 2025
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc officially convened the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC) for the senatorial and party-list elections of Eleksyon 2025 on Monday afternoon. Comelec Chairman George Garcia, who leads the canvassing body, declared the session open at exactly 3:31 p.m.
The meeting began with the legal counsels of all senatorial and party-list candidates signing in to formally enter their appearance. This step ensured that all parties involved were properly represented as the canvassing process started.
Initialization of the consolidation and canvassing system
Following the roll call, the board proceeded with the initialization of the consolidation and canvassing system (CCS). This system could only be activated once Chairman Garcia’s credentials were entered, marking the official start of the canvassing process.
Once the CCS was up and running, the NBOC demonstrated to the candidates’ legal teams, election watchdogs, observers, and other stakeholders that the system had a clean slate. At the time of opening, no votes had been recorded, affirming the transparency and integrity of the process.
Next steps and resumption of session
After successfully initializing the CCS, the NBOC promptly adjourned the session. The board is scheduled to resume on May 13 at 10:00 a.m., when it will begin accepting certificates of canvass from provinces nationwide.
Besides Chairman Garcia, the NBOC is composed of six other commissioners: Aimee Ferolino, Rey Bulay, Nelson Celis, Norina Tangaro-Casingal, and Noli Rafol Pipo. Together, they will oversee the smooth and fair canvassing of votes for Eleksyon 2025.
