ALL senators who ran for president or vice president in this year’s elections would be barred from sitting as national canvassers even if they had conceded defeat, Senate President Franklin Drilon said Tuesday.
He cited conflict of interest, but that was questioned after Senator Bam Aquino and Akbayan Rep. Barry Gutierrez of the ruling Liberal Party were allowed to sit as canvassers.
The issue of conflict of interest was raised against Aquino for being the campaign manager of Liberal Party vice presidential candidate Leni Robredo while Gutierrez was the campaign manager and spokesman of LP standard bearer Manuel Roxas II.
Drilon and Senator Aquilino Pimentel III said the conflict-of-interest issue in the case of Aquino and Gutierrez was baseless since the two would just sit as “alternates.”
Drilon named the “conflicted senators” as Grace Poe and Miriam Defensor Santiago, who ran for president; Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Francis Escudero, Alan Peter Cayetano, Gregorio Honasan and Antonio Trillanes IV who ran for vice president.
He said while Senator Nancy Binay did not run for any post in the recent polls, it was still “not proper” for her to sit as a canvasser because of her father, Vice President Jejomar Binay, who ran for president.
“It is not ethical and you will have a conflict of interest if you area candidate and you sit in the canvass. That cannot be, that cannot be proper,” Drilon insisted.
“For example, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano can’t sit in the canvass as well as Senators Grace [and] Chiz.”
The joint session of Congress convened on Tuesday and named their respective representatives to the Joint Canvassing Committee of the National Board of Canvassers.
Pimentel and House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II were elected as co-chairmen of the joint canvassing committee. They will be the presiding officers during the canvassing that will begin at 2 p.m. today.
House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said the the NBOC House contingent were Gonzales as chairman; Dasmariñas City Rep. Elpidio Barzaga, Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo, Mindoro Occidental Rep. Rey Umali, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro and 1BAP Rep. Silvestre Bello III as members; and Pampanga Rep. Oscar Rodriguez, Gutierrez, Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya and House Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora as alternates.
The members of the Senate contingent are Pimentel as chairman; Juan Edgardo Angara, Teofisto Guingona III, Sergio Osmeña III, Ralph Recto, Juan Ponce Enrile, Vicente Sotto III as members; and Cynthia Villar, JV Ejercito and Aquino as alternates.
At least 12 trucks had brought the ballot boxes from the Senate to the House of Representatives at 5 a.m. on Tuesday.
Gonzales said the joint panel will canvass 159 CoCs from the provinces, local absentee voting and overseas absentee voting. Herrera