THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc, sitting as the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC), has set a new record for the fastest canvass of Certificates of Canvass (COCs) in Philippine election history.
In just two days, from Tuesday, May 13, to Wednesday, May 14, the NBOC successfully canvassed a total of 159 COCs.
This surpasses all previous records for the national board, according to Comelec spokesperson Atty. John Rex Laudiangco. “This is the highest number of COCs canvassed by the national board in the history of Philippine elections… The fastest in just two days,” Laudiangco stated.
On the first day, the NBOC canvassed 58 COCs, including those from over 20 overseas posts, local absentee voting, and others. This was followed by the canvassing of 101 COCs on Wednesday.
While the NBOC suspended its session around 6:30 PM on Wednesday, it is scheduled to resume on Thursday afternoon to complete the canvass of the remaining 16 COCs, including those from Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, and Iligan City.
Despite the record-breaking pace, the national board has yet to release partial and official results for senatorial and party-list races.
Laudiangco attributed this delay to the sheer volume of COCs received in the two-day period, stating that the NBOC was “overwhelmed” by the influx of documents. The rapid processing, however, demonstrates a significant improvement in the efficiency of the election canvassing process.
