THIS YEAR indicates a crucial chapter in Philippine election history, with Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia announcing the “historic conduct” in the May 12, 2025 elections.
Based on the final Comelec turnout data, 82.2 percent, or 57,350,968, of the 69 million registered voters nationwide, voted in the highly anticipated 2025 National and Local Elections/Midterm Elections.
Making this the largest voter turnout in the history of the Philippine midterm elections, as per Comelec. This demonstrates how Filipinos perceived the importance of elections in today’s socio-economic issues.
“Talaga naman pong historic, talaga naman pong nag-uumapaw ang kaligayahan ng Comelec sa pinakita ng mga kababayan natin,” chairman Garcia said on Friday.
“This is the victory of the people, this is not only the victory on the part of Comelec…ang ganitong klaseng turnout ng 82.2 (percent) ay tagumpay ng sambayanan,” he went on to say.
Meanwhile, Garcia feels that youth voters contributed significantly to this high voter turnout. It should be noted that Generation Z accounted for 28.79 percent of the voting-age population, or 21.87 million voters.
The New Magic 12
Meanwhile, Comelec has announced that the proclamation of the “Magic 12,” or the 12 senatorial race winners, will take place today, May 17, at the Tent City Manila Hotel.
The much-awaited proclamation event will begin at 3:00 p.m. On Friday, Garcia indicated that the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC) will deliver formal invitations to the 12 winning senators that afternoon.
“Hinihintay na lang namin ‘yung formal recommendation ng supervisory committee pero we were informed, they will recommend to proclaim winning senatorial candidates base sa ranking,” said Garcia.
The NBOC also released the National Certificate of Canvass (NCOC), which included the final rankings of the “Magic 12” triumphant senators and the votes they got. Here is the final list:
1. Christopher “Bong” GO — 27, 121, 073 Votes)
2. Bam Aquino — 20, 971, 899 Votes
3. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa — 20, 773, 946 Votes
4. Erwin Tulfo — 17, 118, 881 Votes
5. Kiko Pangilinan — 15, 343, 229 Votes
6. Rodante Marcoleta — 15, 250, 723 Votes
7. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson — 15, 106, 111 Votes
8. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III — 14, 832, 996 Votes
9. Pia Cayetano — 14, 573, 430 Votes
10. Camille Villar — 13, 651, 274 Votes
11. Lito Lapid — 13, 394, 102 Votes
12. Imee Marcos — 13, 339, 227 Votes
Proclamation Flow
According to Garcia, the 12 victorious senators will get 5 minutes to deliver their speech, and all winning senators will have the typical “photo ops” onstage.
“Ang unang tatawagin po ay yung number 12…Isa-isa muna silang tinatawag, babasahin ‘yung certificate of proclamation, hanggang sa dumako tayo sa number one,” the chairman said.
“Usually itataas ‘yan ng commissioner o ng chairman na in-charge dun sa particular candidate na ‘yun, sa bandang huli, lahat nung 12 will have to be there sa stage,” he added.
The chairman stated that each winning candidate will be allowed to have 10 to 15 companions during the event. Meanwhile, the proclamation of the winning party-list groups is slated for Monday, May 19.
