MANILA (Updated 12:23 a.m.) -– Liberal Party (LP) presidential candidate Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III continues to take the lead as the canvassing of votes for president and vice-president in Congress entered its fourth day Tuesday.
On Tuesday afternoon Aquino already took over the lead from former President Joseph Estrada who was the leading contender during Monday's canvassing.
Aquino's running mate, Senator Mar Roxas, is in a tight contest with PMP vice-presidential candidate Jejomar Binay with 8.7 and 9.04 million votes, respectively.
Congress acting as the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC) has canvassed a total of 203 Certificates of Canvass (COC) as of 8:31 p.m. Tuesday.
The latest tally for president showed Aquino leading with 9,564,943 followed by Estrada with 5,927,990 votes.
In the vice-presidentialrace, Roxas and Binay are both slugging it out for the country's second highest post.
Tuesday's canvassing of votes was faster despite protests and questions from lawyers of the political parties.
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said that if the fast pace of the canvass continues, they could finish by Thursday and proclaim the winners on June 7.
Zubiri described the canvassing process as “very productive,” with 168 of COCs already counted as of 5:25 p.m. on Tuesday.
The joint congressional canvassing committee expressed optimism Tuesday it would be able to finish counting all 278 COCs by Monday.
u201dWe are happy with the pace of the canvass,” committee co-chairman House Speaker Prospero Nograles said before the board of canvassers took a 20-minute break.
Senate Majority Floor Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri described the canvassing process as “very productive,” with 168 of COCs already counted as of 5:25 p.m. on Tuesday.
Another panel member Rep. Roilo Golez expects the canvassing process to be finished by Monday next week.
u201dWith the speed of the canvassing, I expect it to be finished by Monday,” Golez said.
The COCs canvassed so far on Tuesday came from Baguio, Siquijor, Cavite, Negros Oriental, Marinduque, Tarlac City, Mandaluyong, Guimaras, Bataan, Quirino, Cebu, Camarines, Agusan del Norte, Dinagat Island, Tarlac, Zamboanga City, Surigao del Norte, Misamis Oriental, Bulacan, Manila, Zambales, Camiguin and Catanduanes.
The joint congressional canvass committee, meanwhile, summoned the board of canvassers of 12 provinces and city that failed to electronically transmit their COCs.
Zubiri identified the provinces of Aurora, Biliran, Bukidnon, Cagayan de Oro, Camarines Norte, Davao Oriental, Ilocos Sur, Kalinga, Pampanga, Romblon, Surigao del Sur, and San Juan City.
Lanao del Sur also had no electronic transmission of the COCs because it has yet to hold a special election.
Meanwhile, lawyers of political parties continuously contested the authenticity of the COC during Tuesday's resumption of canvassing.
Estrada' camp insisted there should be a ruling first if the COC being counted by the NBOC were digitally signed.
Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) lead counsel George Erwin Garcia claimed that Smartmatic "impliedly admitted" that the COCs have not been digitally signed, citing that only those bearing the mark can be counted.
"Without it, the document is a mere scrap of paper and has no value at all in law," he said.
The PMP is standing firm in its position that there should be digital signatures in each step of the Automated Election System (AES).
PMP spokesman Ralph Calinisan questioned why the canvass of the electronically transmitted results has begun despite the numerous issues.
"There should also be a determination of the genuineness and due execution of the electronically transmitted results before they are canvassed," he noted.
Counsels from other parties have also objected to the use of the COCs which lack the needed digital signatures.
Bienvenido Somera Jr., Roxas counsel, manifested during the canvassing Tuesday the alarming number of nullified votes for the vice-presidential post.
Votes were nullified in cases of over voting or in erroneous shading of ballots.
Somera also noted that the lowering of the threshold for transmitting the election results to the Comelec central server and other servers were not completed and will have an effect on the vice-presidential contest.
He said there are 92,000 disenfranchised votes for the national race after the Comelec allowed the lowering of threshold for some localities. (Virgil Lopez/AH/Sunnex)