The Commission on Elections (Comelec) officially proclaimed the 12 newly elected senators on Saturday, May 17.
Scheduled at 3 p.m., the proclamation ceremony was held at the Tent City of the Manila Hotel. The winning senators were joined by their families during the event. Meanwhile, Senator-elect Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan was not present as he was attending his daughter's graduation in the United States.
In his speech, Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia acknowledged the significant role of the youth in the elections, noting a historic voter turnout in the May polls.
"At sa hanay ng mga bumoto, namukod-tangi ang lakas ng tinig ng kabataan. Ang Millennials at Gen Zs, na madalas na napagkakamalang tahimik o abala sa sarili nilang mundo, ay buong-giting na nakisangkot, nakibahagi at tumindig para sa ating kinabukasan. Hindi na sila maaaring paratangan o pagbintangan na nananatili sa gilid ng kasaysayan," he said.
"Nakita natin na sila na mismo ang humahabi ng ating kasaysayan, tangan ang kanilang mga balota na tila ba nagsasabing, 'Narito kami, kabahagi sa paghubog ng ngayon at katuwang sa paglatag ng bukas," he highlighted.
Garcia led the reading of the certificates of proclamation, including the official vote count for each senator-elect.
Here are the 12 proclaimed senators and the number of votes they garnered:
- Bong Go – 27,121,073
- Bam Aquino – 20,971,899
- Ronald dela Rosa – 20,773,946
- Erwin Tulfo – 17,118,881
- Kiko Pangilinan – 15,343,229
- Rodante Marcoleta – 15,250,723
- Ping Lacson – 15,106,111
- Tito Sotto III – 14,832,996
- Pia Cayetano – 14,573,430
- Camille Villar – 13,651,274
- Lito Lapid – 13,394,102
- Imee Marcos – 13,339,227
The newly elected senators will officially assume office on June 30 and will serve a term lasting until 2031.
Comelec also announced that it completed the canvassing of 175 Certificates of Canvass just three days after the May 12 elections—marking the fastest canvassing in the agency’s history.
