LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH SERVICE

REFERENCE AND RESEARCH BUREAU

For purposes of drafting the 2022 Rules of Canvassing, we respectfully recommend the
adoption of the 2016 Rules of the Joint Public Session of Congress for the Canvassing of the
Votes for the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Candidates (“2016 Rules”) with the exception of
a few proposed amendments which will be elucidated hereunder. In general, we find that the
provisions of the 2016 Rules will serve the purposes of an orderly and systematic canvassing of
votes.

RULES OF THE JOINT PUBLIC PROPOSED RULES OF CONGRESS

SESSION OF CONGRESS FOR THE
CANVASSING OF THE VOTES FOR
THE PRESIDENTIAL AND VICE-
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES IN THE
MAY 9, 2016 ELECTIONS
FOR THE CANVASSING OF THE
VOTES FOR THE PRESIDENTIAL AND
VICE-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES IN
THE 2022 ELECTIONS

RULE I Comments/Suggestions/
Additional inputs
JOINT PUBLIC SESSION

SEC. 1. Session. – Pursuant to Article We propose to adopt this

VII, Section 4 of the Constitution, the provision.
Senate and the House of
Representatives shall meet in Joint
Public Session not later than thirty
(30) days after the election to
canvass the votes for President and
Vice President of the Philippines. The
Joint Public Session shall be held at
the Plenary Hall of the House of
Representatives on the date and time
set forth in a concurrent resolution
approved by both Houses.

RULE II

PRESIDING OFFICERS
SEC. 2. The Senate. - The President of
the Senate shall open and preside
over the JointPublic Session on the
part of the Senate.
SEC. 3. The House of
Representatives. - The Speaker of the
House of Representativesshall open
and preside over the Joint Public
Session on the part of the House
ofRepresentatives.
Option 1:
SEC. 2. The Senate. - The President
of the SenatePRESIDING OFFICER OF
THE SENATEshall open and preside
over the JointPublic Session on the
part of the Senate.
Option 2:
SEC. 2. The Senate. - The President
of the Senateshall open and preside
over the JointPublic Session on the
part of the Senate.
IN THE EVENT THAT THE SENATE
PRESIDENT IS A CANDIDATE FOR
PRESIDENT OR VICE PRESIDENT,
HE/SHE SHALL NOT BE ELIGIBLE TO
PRESIDE OVER THE JOINT PUBLIC
SESSION AND THE MEMBERS OF
THE SENATE SHALL ELECT AMONG
THEMSELVESA PRESIDING OFFICER.
Option 1:
SEC. 3. The House of
Representatives. - The Speaker of
the House of
RepresentativesPRESIDING OFFICER
OF THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVESshall open and
preside over the Joint Public Session
on the part of the House
ofRepresentatives.
Option 2:
SEC. 3. The House of
Representatives. - The Speaker of
The Senate President, as one of
the presiding officers of the
joint public session, does not
merely perform ceremonial
functions.
Under Sec. 10 of the 2016
Rules, the Senate President,
together with the Speaker of
the House, breaks the deadlock
on voting.
Further, under Sec. 9 of the
same Rules it is provided that
“A Member of Congress who is
a candidate for President or
Vice President shall not be
eligible for appointment to the
Joint Committee.”
Thus, inasmuch as the integrity
of the entire canvassing
process hinges on the
objectivity and impartiality of
the canvassing officers and in
view of the known candidacy of
Senate President Vicente Sotto
III in the current elections, we
propose the adoption of either
one of these two (2) options.
For purposes of symmetry of
analogous provisions and
considering that the factual
circumstances contemplated in
our discussions on the previous
section may hold true in future
canvassing activities, we
propose similar amendments
to this particular section.
 the House of Representativesshall
open and preside over the Joint
Public Session on the part of the
House ofRepresentatives.

IN THE EVENT THAT THE SPEAKER

OF THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES IS A CANDIDATE
FOR PRESIDENT OR VICE
PRESIDENT, HE/SHE SHALL NOT BE
ELIGIBLE TO PRESIDE OVER THE
JOINT PUBLIC SESSION AND THE
MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES SHALL ELECT
AMONG THEMSELVES A
PRESIDINGOFFICER.

RULE III

QUORUM

SEC. 4. Quorum. - A majority of each We propose to adopt this

House shall constitute a quorum and provision.
in its absence, in the Senate or in the
House of Representatives, a smaller
number may adjourn from day to

day and the House affected may

compel the attendance of absent
members in accordance with its
Rules.

SEC. 5. Question of Quorum. - Should We propose to adopt this

the question of quorum be raised, provision.
the Presiding

Officer of the House to which the

Member raising the question belongs
shall, without debate, cause the
reading of the roll of Members of the
Senate or the House of
Representatives, as

the case may be, and the President of

the Senate or the Speaker of the
House of
Representatives shall forthwith
announce the results.

RULE IV

ORDER OF BUSINESS

SEC. 6. Order of Business. - The We propose to retain this

Order of Business of the Joint Public provision, as it serves as a mere
Session shall be as follows: guide for an orderly canvassing
of votes.
(a) National Anthem;

(b) Invocation;

(c) Roll Call;

(d) Adoption of the Rules of the Joint

Public Session;

(e) Creation of a Joint Committee to

Canvass the Votes for President and
Vice President;

(f) Reference of Business:

(1) Message from the Commission

on Elections;

(2) Other Messages; and

(3) Communications;

(g) Opening of Certificates of

Canvass;

(h) Canvassing of Votes by the Joint

Committee;

(i) Consideration and Approval of the

Joint Committee Report and the
Adoption of the

Resolution of Both Houses

Proclaiming the Duly Elected
President and Vice President of the
Republic of the Philippines;

(j) Proclamation of the President-

elect and the Vice President-elect by
the President of the

Senate and the Speaker of the House

of Representatives; and
(k) Approval of the Journal of the
Joint Public Session.
RULE V
OPENING OF CERTIFICATES OF
CANVASS
SEC. 7. Opening of Certificates of
Canvass in Joint Public Session. - In
the presence ofthe members of the
Senate and House of Representatives
in joint public session, the President
of the Senate shall open, in the order
they were received, all: (a)
electronicallytransmitted Certificates
of Canvass (CoCs) in theConsolidation
and Canvassing System(CCS); and
(b)manually counted and physically
delivered CoCs not
electronicallytransmitted in the CCS.
SEC. 8. Referral and Transfer to the
Joint Committee. - After the
functions in the preceding section are
accomplished, the CoCs and
supporting documents, if any, shall
SEC. 7. Opening of Certificates of
Canvass in Joint Public Session. - In
the presence ofthe members of the
Senate and House of
Representatives in joint public
session, the PRESIDING OFFICER OF
THE SENATE [President of the
Senate], shall [open], in the order
they were received, [all]: (a) OPEN
AND PRINT ALL electronically
transmitted Certificates of Canvass
(CoCs) in the Consolidation and
Canvassing System(CCS); and (b)
OPEN THE manually counted and
physically delivered CoCs not
electronically transmitted in the CCS.
We propose to replace
“President of the Senate” with
“Presiding Officer of the
Senate” in the light of our
discussions on Sections 2 and 3
hereinabove.
Moreover, we recommend
inserting the phrase “and
print” after the word “open” so
as to allow the physical
inspection of the electronically
transmitted COCs in the CCS, in
view of the possibility of lack of
a Local Area Network or
Computer Communication
System which may prevent the
present members of the
Senate and House of
Representatives and counsels
of the candidates from viewing
the said COCs from their own
electronic devices.
Furthermore, we suggest
adding the phrase “shall open”
before the word “manually” to
indicate the distinction
between the manner of the
opening of the electronically
transmitted and that of
manually counted and
physically delivered COCs.
We propose to adopt this
provision.
be referred and transferred to the
Joint Committee.

RULE VI

JOINT COMMITTEE

SEC. 9. Creation and Membership. –
A Joint Committee is hereby created,
composed ofseven (7) Members to
be appointed by the President of the
Senate and seven (7) Members to be
appointed by the Speaker of the
House of Representatives. The
President of theSenate and the
Speaker of the House of
Representatives shall designate the
Chairperson of each panel.
The President of the Senate and the
Speaker of the House of
Representatives shall also appoint
not more than four (4) alternate
Members in case of the absence or
unavailability of the Members of the
Joint Committee.
A Member of Congress who is a
candidate for President or Vice
President shall not beeligible for
appointment to the Joint Committee.
SEC. 9. Creation and Membership. – We emphasize that the
A Joint Committee is hereby created, amendments being introduced
composed of seven (7) Members to in this Section are consistent
be appointed by the PRESIDING with the circumstance being
OFFICER [President] of the Senate, contemplated in Sections 2 and
and seven (7) Members to be 3 of the 2016 Rules.
appointed by the PRESIDING
OFFICER [Speaker] of the House of
Representatives. The PRESIDING
OFFICER [President] of the Senate,
and the PRESIDING OFFICER
[Speaker] of the House of
Representatives, shall designate the
Chairperson of each panel.
The PRESIDING OFFICER [President]
of the Senate and the PRESIDING
OFFICER [Speaker] of the House of
Representatives shall also appoint
not more than four (4) alternate
Members in case of the absence or
unavailability of the Members of the
Joint Committee.
A Member of Congress who is a
candidate for President or Vice
President shall not beeligible for
appointment to the Joint
Committee.

SEC. 10. Voting. - The Joint
Committee shall decide all questions
and issues raisedinvolving the CoCs
by a majority vote of its Members,
each panel voting separately.
In case the two panels disagree, the
decision of the Chairpersons shall
SEC. 10. Voting. - The Joint
Committee shall decide all questions
and issues raised involving the CoCs
by a majority vote of its Members,
each panel voting separately.
In case the two panels disagree, the
decision of the Chairpersons shall
We emphasize that the
amendments being introduced
in this Section are consistent
with the circumstance being
contemplated in Sections 2 and
3 of the 2016 Rules.
prevail. In case of a deadlock, the prevail. In case of a deadlock, the
matter shall be resolved by the matter shall be resolved by the
President of the Senate and the PRESIDING OFFICER [President] of
Speaker of the House of the Senate and the PRESIDING
Representatives. OFFICER [Speaker] of the House of
Representatives.

SEC. 11. Contempt Power. - The Joint
Committee shall have the power to
punish for contempt any person who
commits disorderly behavior during
its meetings.
SEC. 11. Contempt Power. - The
Joint Committee shall have the
power to punish for contempt any
person who commits disorderly
behavior during its meetings.
For purposes of improved
formatting, we recommend the
amendments as shown in the
proposed rules.

In the same manner, they shall also
punish for contempt any member of
the Board of Canvassers (BOC) or any
person who refuses without
reasonable cause to obey any order
issued by them, or any party who
introduces any manufactured,
spurious, altered ortampered CoC.
In the same manner, IT [they] shall
also punish for contempt any
member of the Board of Canvassers
(BOC) or any person who refuses
without reasonable cause to obey
any order issued by IT [them], or any
party who introduces any
manufactured, spurious, altered or
tampered CoC.

SEC. 12. Request for Technical and We propose the adoption of

Other Assistance. - The Joint this provision.
Committee mayrequest technical and
other assistance from the
Commission on Elections (COMELEC)
and government, private or
independent information technology
experts for purposes of the
canvassing of votes.

The Joint Committee shall direct the

COMELEC to submit the list of names,
specimen signatures and
thumbmarks of the Chairpersons and
Members of the BOCs for the
determination of the authenticity and
due execution of the manually
counted and physically delivered
CoCs. They shall also require that, in
addition to the CoCs, Statement of
Votes(SoVs), and printed election
returns delivered to Congress, the
back-up memory cards containing
the election returns as electronically
transmitted to the BOCs and other
relateddata sources be delivered to
Congress.

RULE VII

CANVASS OF VOTES

SEC. 13. Order of Canvassing. – The We propose the adoption of

Joint Committee shall canvass, in the this provision.
order they were received, all: (a)
electronically transmitted Certificates
of Canvass (CoCs) in the
Consolidation and Canvassing System
(CCS); and (b) manually counted and
physicallydelivered CoCs not
electronically transmitted in the CCS.

SEC. 14. Canvassing Procedures. - We propose the adoption of

The following procedures shall be this provision.
observed in the canvassing of votes
for President and Vice President:

A. Electronically Transmitted
Certificates of Canvass from the
Provincial Boards of Canvassers, City
Boards of Canvassers and District
Boards of Canvassers

(i) The Joint Committee

shall generate and print a
copy of the electronically
transmitted CoC from the
CCS.
(ii) The Joint Committee
shall compare the
printed copy of the
electronically transmitted
CoCwith the printed copy
of the CoC physically
delivered by the
Provincial Boards of
Canvassers (PBOCs), City
Boards of Canvassers
(CBOCs) and District
 Boards of Canvassers
(DBOCs) to Congress.
(iii) The Joint Committee
shall then ascertain that
the number of votes cast
for each Presidential and
Vice-Presidential
candidate in the
electronically transmitted
CoCs and in the
physically delivered CoCs
are identical.
(iv) The Joint Committee
shall satisfy itself that (a)
the physically delivered
CoC was duly executed,
signed and thumbmarked
by the Chairperson and
Members of the
PBOC/CBOC/DBOC; (b)
that the electronically
transmitted CoC contains
the names of all the
candidates for President
and Vice President and
their corresponding
votes in figures; and (c)
that there exists no
discrepancy between the
electronically transmitted
CoC andphysically
delivered CoC as to votes
cast for any candidate for
President or Vice-
President in figures.
(v) Should there exist any
discrepancy between the
electronically transmitted
CoC andphysically
delivered CoC as to the
number of votes cast for
any Presidential orVice-
Presidential candidate,
the Joint Committee shall
require the
PBOC/CBOC/DBOCconcer
ned to personally appear
before it within twenty-
 four (24) hours and
explain thediscrepancy.

The Joint Committee

may, if it deems it
warranted, order the
production, examination
andcomparison of the
Compact Disc/s (CD), the
Secure Digital (SD) cards
(both the memory and/or
the back-up cards) from
the Vote Counting
Machine/s and/or CCS
Machine, the auditlogs
and/or the printed or
generated SoVs.
(vi) The Joint Committee may
likewise satisfy itself on
the authenticity and due
execution of the
electronicallytransmitted
CoCs, which procedure
shall conform to the
provisions of Republic
Act No. 7166
(Synchronized National
and Local Elections of
1991), as supplemented
and modified by Republic
Act No. 8436
(Authorizing COMELEC to
Use an Automated
Election System in the 11
May 1998 National and
Local Elections and in
Subsequent National and
Local Electoral Exercises)
and Republic Act No.
9369 (Automated
Election System Act of
2007), by applicable
authentication and
certification procedures
forelectronic data,
electronic documents
and electronic signatures
as provided under
 Republic Act No. 8792
(Electronic Commerce
Act), the Supreme Court
Rules on Electronic
Evidence,and by rulings
of the Supreme Court in
relevant decided cases.

B. Electronically Transmitted
Certificates of Canvass from the
Special Boards of Canvassers for
Overseas Absentee Voting

(i) The Joint Committee

shall generate and print
a copy of the
electronically
transmitted CoCfrom
the CCS.
(ii) The Joint Committee
shall compare the
printed copy of the
electronicallytransmitte
d CoCwith the printed
copy of the CoC
contained in the special
diplomatic electoral
pouchphysically
delivered to the Senate.
(iii) The Joint Committee
shall then ascertain that
the number of votes
cast for each
Presidential and Vice-
Presidentialcandidate in
theelectronically
transmitted CoC and in
the physically delivered
CoC are identical.
(iv) The Joint Committee
shall satisfy itself that (a)
the physically delivered
CoC was dulyexecuted,
signedand thumb
marked by the
Chairperson and
Members of the Special
Boards of Canvassers
 (SBOCs) for Overseas
Absentee Voting (OAV);
(b) that the
electronically
transmitted CoCcontains
the names of all the
candidates for President
and Vice President and
their corresponding
votes in figures; and (c)
that there exists no
discrepancy betweenthe
electronicallytransmitte
d CoC and the physically
delivered CoC as to
votes cast for any
candidate for President
or Vice-President in
figures.
(v) Should there exist any
discrepancy between
the physically delivered
CoC and
theelectronically
transmitted CoC as to
the number of votes
cast for any Presidential
orVice-Presidential
candidate, the Joint
Committee shall require
the SBOC concerned to
explain the discrepancy.
In lieu of personal
appearance, the SBOC of
a particular country
/territory/post may be
contacted through any
form or means of
communicationdeemed
safe and reliable by the
Joint Committee.

The Joint Committee

may, if it deems it
warranted, order the
production, examination
andcomparison of the
Compact Disc/s (CD), the
 Secure Digital (SD) cards
(both the main memory
and/or back-up cards)
from the Vote Counting
Machine/s and/or CCS
Machine, the audit logs
and/or the printed or
generated SoVs.

(vi) The Joint Committee

may likewise satisfy
itself on the authenticity
and due execution of
the electronically
transmitted CoCs, which
procedure shall conform
to the provisions
ofRepublic Act No. 7166
(Synchronized National
and Local Elections of
1991), as supplemented
and modified by
Republic Act No. 8436
(Authorizing COMELEC
to Use an Automated
Election System in the
11 May 1998 National
and Local Elections and
in Subsequent National
and Local Electoral
Exercises) and Republic
Act No. 9369
(Automated Election
System Act of 2007), by
applicable
authentication and
certification procedures
forelectronic data,
electronic documents
and electronic
signatures as provided
under Republic Act No.
8792 (Electronic
Commerce Act), the
Supreme Court Rules on
Electronic Evidence,and
by rulings of the
Supreme Court in
 relevant decided cases.

C. Manually Counted and Physically

Delivered Certificates of Canvass
from theSpecial Boards of Canvassers
for Overseas Absentee Voting for
President and Vice
President

(i) The Joint Committee

shall satisfy itself that (a)
the printed CoC
contained in the
specialdiplomatic
electoral pouch
physically delivered and
addressed to the
President of the
Senatefor OAV was duly
executed, signed and
thumb marked by the
Chairperson and
Members of the SBOC for
OAV; (b) that the
physically delivered CoC
contains the names of all
the candidates for
President and Vice
President and their
corresponding votes in
words and in figures; and
(c) that there exists no
discrepancy between the
votes cast for any
candidate forPresident or
Vice-President in words
and in figures.

(ii) In case of discrepancy,

incompleteness, erasure
or alteration in the CoC,
the JointCommittee shall
require the SBOC
concerned to explain the
discrepancy,
incompleteness,erasure
or alteration in the
physically delivered CoC.
 In lieu of personal
appearance, theSBOC of
a particular
country/territory/post
may be contacted
through any form or
means of communication
deemed safe and reliable
by the Joint Committee.

The Joint Committee

may, if it deems it
warranted, order the
production, examination
andcomparison any other
authentic copy of the CoC
and/or the SoVs.

D. Manually Counted and Physically

Delivered Certificates of Canvass
from theSpecial Board of Canvasser
for Local Absentee Voting and
Detainee Voting forPresident and
Vice President

(i) The Joint Committee

shall satisfy itself that (a)
the physically delivered
CoC was dulyexecuted,
signed and thumb
marked by the
Chairperson and
Members of the SBOC;
(b) that it contains the
names of all
thecandidates for
President and Vice
President and their
corresponding votes in
words and in figures; and
(c) that there exists no
discrepancy between the
votes cast for any
candidate for President
or Vice-President in
words and in figures.

(ii) In case of any

 discrepancy,incompleten
ess, erasure or alteration
in the physically
delivered CoC, the Joint
Committee shall require
the personal appearance
of the SBOC for Local
Absentee Voting (LAV)
and Detainee Voting (DV)
within twenty-four (24)
hours toexplain the
discrepancy,
incompleteness, erasure
or alteration.

The Joint Committee

may, if it deems it
warranted, order the
production, examination
andcomparison of the of
the physically delivered
CoCs with the SoVs.
SEC. 15. Malfunction of the CCS We propose the adoption of
during Canvassing. - In case the CCS this provision.
machinemalfunctions prior to or
during the canvassing proceedings
and cannot be repaired or made to
work despite technical assistance
from the COMELEC, the Joint
Committee shall canvass the votes
based solely on the printed CoCs
physically delivered by the BOC to
Congress.

SEC. 16. Statements and
Observations on the Condition of
the Certificates of Canvass. -
Statements and observations by the
members of the Joint Committee on
thecondition of the electronically
transmitted CoCs, the manually
counted and physically delivered
CoCs, the envelope/s, individual
seal/s and serial number/s of the
CoCs shall be entered in the Journal
of the proceedings.
SEC. 16. Statements and
Observations on the Condition of
the Certificates of Canvass. -
Statements and observations by the
members of the Joint Committee,
AND THE CANDIDATES,
PERSONALLY OR BY COUNSEL, on
thecondition of the electronically
transmitted CoCs, the manually
counted and physically delivered
CoCs, the envelope/s, individual
seal/s and serial number/s of the
We propose to allow also the
candidates, either directly or
through their counsel, to make
statements and observations
on the condition of the
electronically submitted COCs
and the manually counted and
physically delivered CoCs,
which observations shall be
entered in the journal of the
proceedings.
We submit that the said
 CoCs shall be entered in the Journal inclusion will magnify fairness
of the proceedings. and intensify participation for
the purpose of achieving an
orderly and transparent
canvassing.
SEC. 17. Delayed, Lost, Destroyed or We propose the adoption of
Unavailable Certificates of Canvass. - this provision.
If any ballot box purportedly
containing a copy of a CoC has not
been delivered to Congress at the
time of the opening of the CoCs in
the Joint Public Session by the
President of the Senate and Speaker
of the House of Representatives, the
subject CoC shall be considered
delayed.

In this case, the Joint Committee shall

order the BoC concerned to deliver
the said CoC within twenty-four (24)
hours. In case of OAV, in lieu of
personal appearance, the SBOC of a
particular country/territory/post may
be contacted by the Joint Committee,
through any form or means of
communication deemed safe and
reliable by the Joint Committee, in
order to determine the cause of the
delay.

In case the CoC has been lost,

destroyed or is otherwise
unavailable, the Joint Committee
shall immediately order the
COMELEC to submit its authentic
copy of said CoC within twenty-four
(24) hours.
SEC. 18. Disposition of Deferred and We propose the adoption of
Contested Certificates of Canvass - this provision.
After canvassing all uncontested
CoCs, the Joint Committee shall
resolve the questions and/or
objections on the deferred CoCs by a
majority vote of its members, each
panel voting separately.

RULE VIII
 ATTORNEYS AND WATCHERS

SEC. 19. Attorneys. - Each candidate We propose the adoption of

shall be entitled to attorneys, whose this provision.
names shall besubmitted to the Joint
Committee Secretariat for
registration. The attorneys shall file
their formal entry of appearance
before the Joint Committee, and
serve during the entirecanvassing
proceedings. Provided, That only two
(2) registered attorneys for each
candidateshall sit at any given time in
a place designated for them;
Provided further, That only one (1)
registered attorney for every
candidate may speak before the Joint
Committee for not more than three
(3) minutes which may be extended
for a similar period by the President
of the Senate or the Speaker of the
House of Representatives when
warranted.

Objection by counsels to the canvass

of any CoC shall be raised at the time
the CoC is being considered. Such
objection may be submitted in
writing. All objections shall be
entered in the journal of the
proceedings.

SEC. 20. Watchers. - Each candidate

shall be entitled to watchers, who
shall register their attendance with
the joint committee secretariat. Only
two (2) registered watchers for each
candidate shall sit at a designated
place with a clear view of the entire
canvassing proceedings.

RULE IX

REPORT OF THE JOINT COMMITTEE

SEC. 21. Preparation of the Report. - We propose the adoption of
The Joint Committee shall prepare a this provision.
report on the canvass for submission
to the Joint Public Session.

SEC. 22. Approval of the Report by We propose the adoption of

the Joint Committee. - The Joint this provision.
Committee Report shall be approved
by a majority vote of all its Members,
each panel voting separately. The
committee report shall be signed by
the majority of the Members of each
panel.

Any Member may submit comments

and recommendations for inclusion
in the records of the Joint Public
Session.
RULE X

CONSIDERATION AND APPROVAL OF

THE REPORT OF THE
JOINTCOMMITTEE ANDADOPTION
OF THE RESOLUTION OF BOTH
HOUSES

SEC. 23. Consideration of the Joint We propose the adoption of

Committee Report. –The Joint this provision.
Committee Report shall be presented
to the Joint Public Session for its
approval. The Member designated by
the Joint Committee to present the
report may speak for not more than
thirty (30) minutes on the report of
the Joint Committee and the
accompanying Resolution of Both
Houses, declaring the results of the
canvass and proclaiming the
President-Elect and Vice President-
Elect. The Member designated by
those against the report shall also
speak for not more than thirty (30)
minutes.

A speaker for each candidate shall be

given the opportunity to speak for
not more than five (5) minutes.
SEC. 24. Approval of the Joint We propose the adoption of
Committee Report and Adoption of this provision.
the Resolution of

Both Houses. - A majority of the

Senators and a majority of the
Members of the House of
Representatives, voting separately,
shall approve the Joint Committee
Report and adopt the Resolution of
Both Houses proclaiming the duly
elected President and Vice President.

RULE XI

PROCLAMATION

SEC. 25. Proclamation of the We propose the adoption of

President-Elect and Vice President- this provision.
Elect. - Upon adoption of the
Resolution of Both Houses, the
President of the Senate and the
Speaker of the House of
Representatives shall proclaim the
President-elect and the Vice
President-elect.

RULE XII

CONDUCT AND DECORUM

SEC. 26. Conduct and Decorum We propose the adoption of

during the Joint Committee this provision.
Meetings/ Canvassing Proceedings. -
Everyone attending the proceedings
shall wear appropriate attire and
observe proper decorum. The taking
of pictures and recording of the
proceedings with the use of any
electronic devices is prohibited so as
not to disrupt the proceedings.
Cellular phones and other similar
electronic devices shall be put in
silent mode or turned off.

The Joint Committee shall order the

removal from the Plenary Hall of any
individual who conducts
himself/herself in a disorderly
manner. The Sergeant-at-Arms of
both Houses shall carry out all orders
and instructions given by the Joint
Committee, and enforce the
observance of the rules and
guidelines on conduct and decorum.

RULE XIII

GENERAL PROVISIONS

SEC. 27. Journal and Record. - We propose the adoption of

Congress shall keep a Journal of its this provision.
Joint Public Sessionand the
proceedings of the Joint Committee,
which shall contain a succinct and
accurateaccount of what has taken
place in every session and in the
meetings of the JointCommittee.

Congress shall also keep a Record of

the proceedings of the Joint Public
Session.

The preparation of the Journal and

the Record shall be under the joint
supervision of the Secretary of the
Senate and the Secretary-General of
the House of Representatives and the
Senate and the House of
Representatives shall jointly
undertake the printing thereof
SEC. 28. Archival of the Records of We propose the adoption of
Proceedings. - All records of the this provision.
canvass shall be transmitted to the
Archives of the Senate and the House
of Representatives.

SEC. 29. Return of the ballot boxes We propose the adoption of

to the Commission on Elections. - this provision.
Upon completion of the canvass of
votes, and proclamation of the
President-elect and Vice-President-
elect by the Joint Public Session, the
ballot boxes deposited in the Plenary
Hall of the House of Representatives
shall be returned to the COMELEC.

RULE XIV

SUPPLETORY RULES

SEC. 30. Suppletory Rules. - The We propose the adoption of

Rules of the Senate, the Rules of the this provision.
House of Representatives and the
Rules of Court shall be suppletory to
these Rules insofar as they are not
inconsistent herewith.

RULE XV

EFFECTIVITY

SEC. 31. Effectivity. - These Rules We propose the adoption of

shall take effect on the date of their this provision.
adoption. After adoption, these Rules
shall be posted at the websites of
both the Senate and the House of
Representatives. Copies of these
Rules shall be furnished by the Joint
Committee Secretariat to all
candidates for President and Vice-
President, their political parties and
accredited citizens’ arms of the
COMELEC.