The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) aims to proclaim the winning senatorial candidates in the Magic 12 by Friday or over the weekend.
The National Board of Canvassers has already tallied several Certificates of Canvass, including results from local absentee voting, overseas voting, and select cities in Metro Manila.
As of Tuesday morning at 10 a.m., the poll body had received 99.13% of local election returns and 96.99% of overseas returns.
Meanwhile, in an interview with DZRH News, COMELEC Chairman Atty. George Garcia said there is one important lesson newly elected lawmakers should take from the recent elections — the need to increase the poll body’s budget for future electoral exercises.
"Dumadami ang populasyon ng mga voting population tapos ang atin pong pagboto ay laging Mayo, dahil nakalagay ‘yan sa ating Saligang Batas," said Garcia.
"So anong ibig sabihin? Asahan niyo po ‘yung lagi pang napakahabang pila, napakainit, napakaunfair na condition ng atin pong mga botante. Therefore, sa atin pong palagay, kinakailangang pag-isipan na ng ating mga mambabatas, payagan na magkaroon tayo ng pagboto sa mga pribadong malalaking lugar o gusali," he added.
In addition, Garcia explained that a higher budget would allow the agency to procure more vote-counting machines, which in turn would help reduce the number of voters assigned to each precinct.
COMELEC projects that the number of voters could reach approximately 71 million by the 2028 presidential elections.
The poll body has issued a reminder to all candidates, winners and non-winners alike, to file their Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) as required.
Candidates have until June 11 to file their SOCE, which began accepting submissions yesterday. Those who fail to submit may face fines and possible perpetual disqualification from holding public office.
