The Senate leadership expressed confidence that it would have more than 12 senators to attend and constitute a quorum during the reopening of its Senate regular session Monday, approve its canvassing rules, and name its nine-man delegation to the National Board of Canvassers (NBC) as both legislative chambers go into actual canvassing of the certificates of canvass (CoCs) on Wednesday and eventually proclaim the elected President and Vice President before they adjourn sine die on or before June 4.

Asked whether the Senate has 12 or more senators to constitute a quorum when the resume session on Monday to change their legislative calendar after a three-month election recess, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel F. Zubiri expressed belief that ‘’we would have at least more than 12 to constitute a quorum.’’

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives, acting separately on Monday, will have to approve on Monday the rules to be adopted in the canvassing of the May 10 election results for the presidency and vice presidency.

Also on Monday, Zubiri said both legislative chambers would also name members of the Senate and Lower House nine-man delegation to the Senate-Lower House joint session to canvass the votes.

The Constitution mandates that the Senate and the Lower House form themselves into an NBC to canvass the votes for the presidential and vice presidential races and proclaim the winners.

Both chambers will meet at the House of Representatives housed at the Batasang Pambansa complex in Quezon City.

“On Tuesday (in joint session) will be a light day. We will approve the rules and name the nine-member canvassing committee (of each chamber) and adjourn for Wednesday to start the canvass of the documents but we will have to open Tuseday afternoon or Wednesday all the CoCs so all the members could see. Actual canvassing then starts Wednesday,’’ he said.