The people of the Philippines recently voted to choose new senators — the leaders who help make important laws for the country. This big event was called the senatorial elections, and it happened on May 12.
After the voting, the Commission on Elections, also known as Comelec, had the important job of counting all the votes. They acted as the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC), which means they checked and added up all the votes from around the country and from Filipinos living abroad.
And guess what? Senator Christopher “Bong” Go got the most votes! He won 27,121,073 votes from people who trusted him to help lead the country. That’s a huge number — imagine if every person in a big city like Manila voted just for him!
Fastest Vote Count in History!
Comelec said that this year’s vote counting was the fastest ever in Philippine election history! They started counting on Tuesday, May 13, and by Thursday night, they were done. That’s just three days — like finishing a big school project super early!
But here’s something important: Even though the votes were counted and the rankings were shared, Comelec said these results are not final yet. They still need to double-check everything to make sure all the numbers are 100% correct. This is called an audit.
Who Made It to the Top 12?
In total, 66 people ran for senator, but only the top 12 winners get the job. Here’s who made it to the “Magic 12” — that’s what people call the top 12 winners!
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Bong Go – 27,121,073 votes
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Bam Aquino – 20,971,899 votes
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Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa – 20,773,946 votes
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Erwin Tulfo – 17,118,881 votes
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Kiko Pangilinan – 15,343,229 votes
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Rodante Marcoleta – 15,250,723 votes
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Ping Lacson – 15,106,111 votes
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Tito Sotto III – 14,832,996 votes
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Pia Cayetano – 14,573,430 votes
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Camille Villar – 13,651,274 votes
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Lito Lapid – 13,394,102 votes
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Imee Marcos – 13,339,227 votes
How Did Comelec Count the Votes?
Comelec collected 175 vote reports, called Certificates of Canvass (COCs), from many places:
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1 came from people who voted early (like police and soldiers)
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2 came from Filipinos voting from other countries
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82 came from provinces across the Philippines
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26 came from big cities
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64 came from overseas voting
They were very organized:
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On Tuesday, they counted 58 COCs
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On Wednesday, they counted 101 COCs
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On Thursday, they finished with the last 16 COCs
In Simple Words: The people have spoken, the votes are in (almost!), and Bong Go is on top — but Comelec is still making sure everything is correct before it’s 100% official. The race was fast, exciting, and full of big names — and the Philippines is one step closer to knowing its final set of senators!
