MANILA, Philippines – Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and House Speaker Prospero Nograles met on Thursday evening to discuss the possible early holding of a joint public session for the national canvass of the presidential and vice-presidential elections last May 10.

The 2 leaders of both chambers of Congress will raise the idea with their colleagues and each chamber will hold their own session to discuss the proposed rules.

The Senate and House will meet separately on May 24 to discuss the rules.

The projected start of the canvass is May 25.

Nograles said he and the Senate President will appoint 9 members from each chamber to the joint canvass committee, who will check the certificates of canvass from Monday to Friday till they finish. 

The House Speaker said they will try to finish the canvass by June 4.

Both Enrile and the Nograles will preside over the joint canvass committee, unlike what happened in 2004 when then House Speaker Jose de Venecia and then Senate President Franklin Drilon delegated the task to then congressman Raul Gonzalez and Senator Francisco Pangilinan.

Nograles added that the rules they are studying are not that much different from the rules adopted in 2004.

He expects they can proclaim a new president before June 30 once the plenary ratifies the canvass report.

The House Speaker also made it clear that a failure of automation does not mean a failure of elections. 

If the certificates of canvass do not match the automated results, they will call the Commission on Elections and Smartmatic-TIM, he explained.

If too many do not match, there might be a failure of automation, Nograles said, adding, however, that this might be a problem.