The National Board of Canvassers formally started its session at 3:30 p.m. on May 12, 2025  at the Manila Hotel. Jauhn Etienne Villaruel, ABS-CBN NewsMANILA — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) convened as National Board of Canvassers (NBOC) on Monday afternoon to start the canvassing of votes for the senatorial and party-list elections.

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The NBOC, led by Comelec chairman George Garcia, formally started its session at 3:30 p.m. at the Manila Hotel, which serves as the canvassing center.  

"Hindi lang po natin binubuksan ang mga balota, binubuksan natin ang kaluluwa ng ating demokrasya. This is not just a plain and simple canvassing of votes, this is the canvassing of the nation's will. Dito natin makikita ang tunay na tinig ng bayan, hindi sa sigawan, hindi sa social media," Garcia said in a speech.

The NBOC is tasked to canvass the votes and proclaim the winners of the senatorial and party-list races.

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Garcia had projected to finish the canvassing of votes in 5 to 7 days as it expects the transmission of election results to be faster due to the new Automated Counting Machines (ACMs) powered by 5G.

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The “Halalan 2025 Marathon Coverage” will stream live on ABS-CBN News’ YouTube channel and its official Facebook, TikTok, and X (@ABSCBNNews) pages. It will also air on A2Z, Kapamilya Channel, and ANC on YouTube.

Filipinos worldwide can also stay updated on election-related news and results via the “Halalan” page on ABS-CBN.com.

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