Not actual votes but projections were the basis of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) decision to proclaim the 12 leading Senate candidates way ahead of the end of official tally, Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes said yesterday.
Brillantes defended the use of estimates or projections for the proclamation saying the assumptions were valid after former Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban said in a column that the Comelec proclamation of the candidates was premature and illegal since the certificates of canvass (CoC), not the grouped canvass report, should have been basis for senatorial proclamation.   
“We rely not on the exact number of votes but on the projected number of votes we anticipate,” Brillantes told reporters.
Grouped canvass reports refer to a consolidated tally of votes per position from the provincial and city canvassers that have not yet transmitted their CoCs to the Comelec. The COC, on the other hand, contains the total votes from provinces, highly-urbanized cities and overseas absentee voting centers. It also reflects the grouped canvass reports.
Comelec Resolution No. 9706 validated the use grouped canvass reports as a “basis to determine the votes obtained by all the candidates for senator.”
Senator-elect Antonio Trillanes lV was finally proclaimed yesterday at the main office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) as a winning candidate in the 2013 mid-term polls after he failed to attend an earlier proclamation ceremony for him.
Trillanes was the last senatorial candidate to be formally proclaimed by the poll body.
Senator Franklin Drilon, meanwhile, rallied behind the Comelec decision in the early proclamation of the top six winners of the senatorial race.
“There is a presumption of regularity in the move taken by the Comelec until it is reversed by a higher authority which is the Supreme Court. The Comelec (officials) have already spoken and we will respect their decision because they were given the responsibility in carrying out electoral exercises,” Drilon said in a television interview.
The senator, who acted as the campaign manager of the administration-led coalition Team PNoy said the poll body has been given the mandate in handling the elections as well as the authority to decide on the proclamation of the 12 senators who won in the polls.
Anakpawis Partylist Rep. Rafael Mariano also said the Comelec deserves a public scolding and not bonuses for the unsatisfactory conduct of the 2013 mid-term elections, now regarded by several election watchdogs as a ‘political and technological disaster.’
Anakpawis joined the Makabayan Coalition’s protest at Comelec yesterday hitting the poll body’s decision to move the canvassing of the partylists to the Comelec Main Office.
Since last week, the Comelec has suspended the national canvassing but proclaimed 12 winning Senators without corresponding rankings and final and official tally of votes. In the canvassing of partylists that will resume today, canvass of votes will not be read but will be only flashed on screen, according to Comelec chair Sixto Brillantes.
“As far as we are concerned, this year’s mid-term elections are not transparent and lacks accuracy and credibility. We have to know if all the votes cast were canvassed and accounted for. Comelec Chair Brillantes is only quick to hit back at Comelec critics but failed to explain the irregularities of the elections,” said Rep. Mariano.
“Comelec and Brillantes refuse to accept any criticism and suggestion from election watchdogs and parties concerned in the electoral process  and only insists that Comelec is right, fair and accurate despite the glaring irregularties in the conduct of the elections and canvassing,” the Anakpawis solon said.
“Only Chairman Brillantes is satisfied with Comelec’s overall performance in the administration of the elections. As far as we are concerned, many sectors are dismayed with the Comelec. This year’s election is worse than the 2010 polls, almost comparable to elections during the Marcos-era - full of discrepancies,” Mariano added.
“Comelec’s arbitrary and highly-irregular decisions during the canvassing of votes should be investigated. Comelec is accountable to the people and the electorate. Filipinos deserve more than being treated as gullible and unthinking by the poll body,” the solon said.
Brillantes added the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections set this October would likely be deferred late next year or in early 2015.
Brillantes said he will endorse to the House of Representatives a bill postponing the October 2013 barangay elections.
The poll chief said that he is more inclined to prepare for the 2016 elections than pushing with the barangay and SK elections and he would suggest  October 2014 or January 2015 for barangay polls instead.
He explained that their hands are still full what with the conduct of the May 13 midterm elections and the way it is they are expecting many protests to be filed soon by many candidates mostly those who lost the polls.
Brillantes further said that setting the elections to a latter date will give the commission enough time to deal with the protests that may come following the recently concluded midterm elections.
Aside from this, Brillantes noted that the October barangay and SK elections are too close to the midterm elections.
By moving the date they have more time to resolve protest and draft new protest rules and by 2014 they might have finished all the problems and they can still rest and then prepare for the 2016 elections which is still three more years away.
Postponing the elections, however, would mean amending the law that required the barangay and SK polls to be held on the last Monday of October. According to Republic Act No. 9164, synchronized barangay and SK elections shall be held “on the last Monday of October and every three years thereafter.”
The bill seeking to postpone the barangay and SK elections will be endorsed by Brillantes in Congress seeking for such postponement although there are already pending bills for the purpose.
Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla has in fact filed Senate Bill 3242, aiming to synchronize the barangay and SK elections with the May 2016 national and local elections.
On the other hand, Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. filed bill Senate Bill 2377, which seeks to postpone the polls to October 2015.
Brillantes has expressed apprehension over moving the barangay and SK elections in October 2015, saying it would be too close to the 2016 elections, which would include the presidential race. 

Alvin Murcia, Angie M. Rosales, Charlie V. Manalo

It has often been said that “the youth is the hope of the nation,” but very often, not many know how to translate this in a practical way.
Knowing that the youth makes up “60 to 70 percent of our population,” Dong Ronquillo, head of Tattoo Nomadic Broadband Business, says they saw a timely and sustainable way in which to give the youth stake in their future.”
Cat@lyst, a Tattoo-branded corporate social responsibility initiative in partnership with the Global Shapers Manila Hub, hopes to cause a chain reaction of positive action to make a difference in society using modern technology.
Tattoo, the most reliable mobile broadband powered by Globe, takes the advocacy of Global Shapers to bring the Cat@lyst vision to life. The Global Shapers Manila Hub is composed of young and extraordinary individuals with great potential for future leadership roles in society.  It is part of the Global Shapers community, a global program of the World Economic Forum.
For its first project, Cat@lyst seeks to harness creativity, energy and social media through a youth challenge  with the Global Shapers acting as mentors. Some of the Global Shapers are Tattoo ambassador Bianca Gonzalez; Save Philippine Seas co-founder Anna Oposa; San Vicente, Palawan Mayor Pie Alvarez; doctor and researcher on neglected tropical diseases, Harvy Liwanag and Mano Amiga Academy co-founder Lynn Pinugu.
Both Tattoo and the Global Shapers are working hand-in-hand to encourage the youth to make concrete and feasible solutions to the problems of their communities such as air pollution, traffic enforcement, crime prevention among others.
“We are looking for a realistic solution that has an information and communications technology (ICT) component and has the potential to be replicated in other communities. We need young people who have a genuine desire to help,” said Dong Ronquillo, head of Tattoo Nomadic Broadband Business.
Bianca Gonzalez, one of the most active members of Global Shapers Manila Hub and a Tattoo ambassador, said: “We have a lot of exceptional young people who can act as a catalyst toward social and economic change. So together with Globe, we want to harness their capabilities with the help of ICT and social media to come up with realistic solutions to real community problems.”
Here’s how:
Filipino citizens, aged 18 to 30, can submit a proposal via a one-minute video entry from May 2 to 31, which meets the following criteria:
• Innovation (it demonstrates creativity and originality);
• Implementation feasibility (proposal should be executable in the given timeline and proponents should demonstrate capability to mobilize stakeholders involved) and
• Impact (it provides a long-lasting solution to an existing social problem).
Application forms may be downloaded from the Globe Cat@lyst Web site www.catalyst.com.ph. From the entries, received, 15 will be shortlisted. Five winners will then be chosen in June and will be awarded a P200,000 cash grant for program development, mentorship and ICT support.