Comelec to winners: 'Congratulations'; to losers: 'Better luck next time'
Regional Director Renato Magbutay of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) expressed his delight on Monday's conduct of the elections in Western Visayas giving the electorates a 'thumbs up.'
Saying the voters did their obligation rather well from the voting process, to the counting and the canvassing, Director Magbutay in a The News Today (TNT) interview yesterday said he was all pleased with the turnout.
And 'congratulations' to the winners, he added, while 'better luck next time' to the defeated candidates even as the Commission readies it's working staff for expected complaints.
Both winners and losers bombarded Comelec with one unresolved issue to another particularly at the close of the voting last Monday up to yesterday's continued canvassing.
In Iloilo, Director Magbutay said Janiuay, Ajuy and Carles remains hotly-contested with initial canvassing showing a close fight among the mayoralty bets here. Fourteen Iloilo towns have thus far concluded its work with the proclamation of winners conducted. The number of said towns is expected to increase overnight albeit expected alongside the proclamation are protests dismissed by Magbutay as "normal."
"We should really commend the voters for their vigilance and for being there althroughout the process. Maganda ang naging performance dito sa Western Visayas (Western Visayas showed a good performance), " Director Magbutay added.
As of 5 p.m. yesterday, the Comelec gathered that the canvassing at the municipal levels throughout the six provinces in Region 6 have reached some 90% already. The order stands, Director Magbutay stressed, for the canvassing to be done with no suspension allowed unless an order is handed down by Comelec Central Office.
News reaching the Regional Comelec Office disclosed of a suspension in canvassing in the Province of Antique.