Resolve issues before winners’ proclamation, Comelec urged
‘The success of an election shouldn’t rely solely on the speed of canvassing and proclamation.’
Daily Tribune‘The success of an election shouldn’t rely solely on the speed of canvassing and proclamation.’
A poll watchdog on Friday urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to address unresolved issues before proclaiming winners in the 2025 midterm elections.
Four days after the polls, Kontra Daya cautioned against rushing the proclamation of winning candidates, citing numerous irregularities that remain unaddressed.
“The success of an election shouldn’t rely solely on the speed of canvassing and proclamation,” said Danilo Arao, convenor of Kontra Daya. “If the Comelec truly values the integrity of the vote, it must address the issues and inconsistencies that have surfaced.”
The Comelec earlier said winning senators could be proclaimed as early as Saturday.
Kontra Daya raised concerns over delays in the transmission of election data to the transparency servers accessed by watchdogs and media organizations, compared to the Comelec’s central servers.
Comelec chairperson George Garcia explained that data from precincts are transmitted to both the Comelec and transparency servers, although the latter receives information in batches.
“Shouldn’t the Comelec have ensured that data is transmitted to both servers simultaneously?” Arao asked. “The purpose of transparency servers is to serve as a check and balance — not merely a duplicate. The Comelec must clarify this process.”
Another issue raised was the apparent duplication of data on one of the transparency servers.
Garcia attributed this to “data being transmitted in repeated trenches,” noting that the system still needs to be “cleaned by the appropriate program.”
“Garcia’s response doesn’t really get to the root of the duplication issue,” Arao countered. “Aside from a more detailed explanation, they should release the transmission logs.”
Kontra Daya also flagged a discrepancy between the number of voters and ballots cast. The Comelec blamed “mislabeling” — an excuse the watchdog found unacceptable.