THE delay in the transmission of election canvass reports resulting in the postponement of the Commission on Elections’ proclamation of winning senatorial candidates has sparked talks of possible manipulation of election results.
The Comelec on Wednesday deferred proclaiming the winners in the Senate race by a day, citing the slow pace of transmissions from provinces due to electoral protests on the local level, as well as weak signals.
Almost three days after the elections and still no official results, Comelec Chair Sixto Brillantes brushed aside suggestions of irregularities and allayed fears that results might be vulnerable to fraud because of the delays in transmission.
“Everything is secure. That is the primary obligation and responsibility of this Commission,” he declared. “We’ve already succeeded in this election. We don’t want anything to hinder this success of this voting now,” he said.
But the opposition United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), whose candidates are trailing in the unofficial count, says there might be more to the delays than what is being reported.