THERE will be no same-day proclamation for the winner in the Antipolo City (Second District) special congressional polls on March 14, 2026.
This was according to the Commission on Elections (Comelec), which said they expect the proclamation of the winning candidate for member of the House of Representatives by late March 15.
"Can the Comelec proclaim on the night of March 14? No. Can we proclaim in the early morning of March 15? Not either," said Comelec Chairman George Garcia.
"If you ask me when we can proclaim, the proclamation of the winning candidate could come the next day sometime in the afternoon until late evening," he added.
He said this is because the Antipolo City special polls will use the manual system of elections.
"During the canvassing in a manual election, each Election Return can be questioned and objected to by candidates. The process is longer," said Garcia.
He said this is in stark contrast to the electoral process using the automated election system.
"By the time we close at 7 p.m., by 8 p.m. we are finished counting at the precinct level. On the night of Election Day, there are some local officials who have already been proclaimed," Garcia said.
In a related development, the Comelec has posted online the certificates of candidacy (COCs) of all seven candidates in the March 14 special polls.
Garcia said the public may use the online copies of the COCs to help screen the qualifications of the seven bets.
"Knowledge is power, as they say. But it is not enough to just know. Knowledge must be used to filter those who are truly qualified," said Garcia. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)