'NOT TODAY': Proclamation of winning senators, party-lists deferred anew

MANILA (UPDATE) -- The proclamation of winning senators and party-list groups was postponed for a second time on Tuesday, the Commission on Elections said.

The poll body around noon was still canvassing election returns from Saudi Arabia and waiting for those from Washington, which represent some 200,000 voters, said Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez.

"In order to make sure na wala nang movement sa rankings ng elected officials natin, we need to get that squared away," he told reporters.

"What do we say to the gods of proclamation? Not today," he added.

Election officials in Washington were waiting for returns from Los Angeles, but "we can't get in touch with them, that's why we're seeing this delay," said Jimenez.

A partial proclamation "at this point [is] still not being considered," the official said.

The proclamation was initially scheduled on Sunday and reset to Tuesday before Jimenez's announcement.

Nine of 12 available seats in the Senate looked set to go to administration candidates and the rest to "independents," unofficial tallies showed.

Comelec has yet to receive any information on whether or not President Rodrigo Duterte will attend the proclamation, said Jimenez.

Duterte in October last year had accompanied his former longtime aide Christopher "Bong" Go in submitting his certificates of candidacy for senator.

Go, who was venturing into politics for the first time, was at third place, according to partial tallies.

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