Comelec proclaims 12 senators in earliest proclamation

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) proclaimed the victory of twelve candidates for Senate seats in the 20th Congress at Manila Hotel Tent City on Saturday, five days after midterm elections and the earliest in Comelec's history.

Among the winners are reelectionists like Bong Go with the highest number of votes at 27,121,073, followed by Ronald 'Bato' dela Rosa, Pia Cayetano, Lito Lapid, and Imee Marcos.

Newcomers to the Senate include Bam Aquino, Francis 'Kiko' Pangilinan, Panfilo Lacson, Vicente Sotto III, Erwin Tulfo, Rodante Marcoleta, and Camille Villar.

During the proclamation ceremony, Kiko Pangilinan was unable to attend due to his daughter's graduation in the United States; Imee Marcos, who ranked 12th with 13,339,227 votes, was called first while Bong Go, the top vote-getter, was called last.

The results will impact the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, as five of the twelve winners are part of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s slate and others come from former president Rodrigo Duterte's camp.