No leadership vacuum come July 1 — De Venecia

Speaker Jose de Venecia assured the public yesterday that there will be "no leadership vacuum" in the government as the National Canvassing Board would fulfill its duty to canvass votes and proclaim the winning candidates for president and vice president before noon of June 30.

The Senate and the House of Representatives, in a joint session, will convene into the National Canvassing Board at 4 p.m. today amid charges of widespread fraud in the May 10 elections.

"We assure the nation and the international community there will be no delay or derailment of the canvass. Our concern is national interest through a strong democratic system. Nationalism and statesmanship of members of Congress would reign as we do our sacred duty under the Constitution," De Venecia said.

The camp of Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) standard-bearer Fernando Poe Jr., along with several other political parties, earlier accused President Arroyo’s Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan (K-4) of massive electoral fraud.

De Venecia, however, reiterated that "the people’s democratic will will reign supreme," with winning candidates for the country’s top two posts to be proclaimed "before June 30," the deadline set by the Constitution for the proclamation.

He also reminded opposition members of Congress not to derail the canvassing process through delaying tactics since "the Constitution has a built-in avenue for such eventualities to ensure fairness and judicious treatment of electoral protests."

"The Constitution provides that all protests relative to the conduct of the presidential and vice presidential polls must be coursed through the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, which has the sole mandate over these possible protests. It is headed by no less than the Chief Justice," he stressed.

De Venecia, who was re-elected congressman of Pangasinan’s fourth district, also called for a caucus of all political parties — including those belonging to the opposition — at noon today to thresh out kinks in the proposed rules on the canvass. The rules will take the form of a joint resolution needing plenary approval before the canvass can start.

"I am even prepared to propose that we use the 1998 rules on canvassing which covered the counting of votes that ultimately resulted (in) my defeat to (Joseph) Estrada," he pointed out, adding that the entire canvass proceedings will be done "under the blazing sun of public scrutiny."

De Venecia also said they have seen to all the preparations, including the security of the certificates of canvass (COCs) and the entire Batasan complex, where the canvass will be held.

No railroading

De Venecia and Senate President Franklin Drilon agreed at a meeting last Friday that the process of checking the authenticity of the COCs from countries where overseas Filipinos voted, along with those from other parts of the Philippines, will neither be railroaded nor delayed.

De Venecia, who has already designated seven congressmen for the 14-member canvassing board, said the canvassing will be subject to the scrutiny of the public, the media and representatives of the various political parties which fielded a candidate in the last presidential elections.

Drilon said questions will be entertained, but only those touching on the authenticity of the election documents and the so-called due diligence of election officers, where it must first be established that the duly designated Commission on Elections (Comelec) officials had indeed sent the COCs. He said these are the main tasks of the national canvassing board.

Other questions will have to be relegated to the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, the body tasked to hear electoral protests concerning presidential and vice presidential contests, just like in the 1992 presidential polls, where Miriam Defensor-Santiago questioned Fidel Ramos’ victory.

Deputy Speaker Raul Gonzalez will be heading the House contingent to the canvass board. House secretary-general Roberto Nazareno had been tasked to receive the COCs, which will come from the Senate. He will then turn over the election forms to Congress’ Task Force Canvass 2004.

De Venecia said canvassing process might be finished by first week of June or a few days after May 24. The canvass may just take a matter of days, he said, depending on how fast the transmittal of COCs will be.

"We must act rapidly to return the nation to normal and reassure the business and international community about the country’s continuing stability," he said.

De Venecia also cautioned losing candidates against making "irresponsible and undocumented allegations."

"We must work together to heal the nation’s wounds and propel the nation forward under the government of national unity we have proposed built around a common program of political and economic reform," he said.