Manila: Winning senators and party-list groups in the May 12, 2025 National and Local Elections (NLE) are expected to be determined a week after the elections, according to the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

According to Philippines News Agency, Comelec Chairperson George Garcia stated in a press briefing that the process involves transferring results from the Municipal and Provincial Boards of Canvassers to the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC). The canvassing at the national level is estimated to take between five to seven days.

The Commission en banc will convene as the NBOC to oversee this process. Garcia highlighted that this timeline is significantly faster compared to the nearly month-long canvassing period typical of manual elections. The swift transmission of election results is attributed to the use of automated counting machines (ACMs), equipped with 5G technology by Starlink.

Garcia also mentioned that unofficial results might be available as early as the night of Election Day, thanks to the rapid transmission capabilities of the ACMs. He expressed hope that the public will not be surprised by the speed of the results.

In the May 2022 elections, the process took longer, with the 12 new senators being proclaimed after nine days and the winning party-list groups after 17 days.