Sitting jointly as the National Board of Canvassers, the Senate and the House of Representatives proclaimed on Wednesday Sen. Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Cojuangco Aquino III and Makati City Mayor Jejomar Cabauatan Binay as the duly elected president and vice president, respectively.

Aquino was proclaimed the country’s 15th President ahead of the projected June 15 proclamation schedule after garnering 15,208,678 votes in the country’s first automated national elections held on May 10, 2010. He will start his term together with members of the 15th Congress.

Rains poured heavily outside the Batasan Pambansa session hall in Quezon City as supporters, including top political leaders and entertainment celebrities, rejoiced over the proclamation of the highest ranking leaders of the country who will head government in the next six years.

With nobody among members of the two Houses of Congress objecting, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Speaker Prospero Nograles, who presided over the proceedings, banged their respective gavels to formally adopt the resolution proclaiming Aquino and Binay as the president-elect and vice president elect, respectively.

The proclamation of the winning candidates on Wednesday, June 9, came nine days after Congress, sitting as the national canvassing board, started its job of tabulating the results of 278 certificates of canvass transmitted from overseas and local absentee voting center and board of canvassers of provinces and highly urbanized cities.

Four solons, namely: Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri and Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr.; House Majority Leader Arthur Defensor and Senior Deputy Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II, delivered the sponsorship speeches seeking the adoption of the report of the Joint Congressional Canvassing Committee and the accompanying resolution of proclamation.

Before the proclamation proceedings, the Senate called Sen. Jinggoy Estrada to deliver former President Joseph Estrada’s speech conceding the presidential race to Aquino.

“Aquino and Binay deserve to be proclaimed. I now call on our people to rally behind the president-elect and rise above the dictates of partisan interest,” said Estrada.

Estrada, Defensor, and Pimentel agreed that the proclamation of winners should push through but all three noted that deficiencies in the automated elections should be addressed by the next leaders of the country.

Aquino won by a margin of 5,720,841 over closest rival, ex-President Joseph Estrada of the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino. Estrada received 9,487,837 votes.

Binay’s votes totaled 14,645,574, which is 727,084 over the votes received by closet rival and Aquino’s runningmate, Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, who got 13,918,490.

The families of the winning candidates were called to the rostrum when their hands were raised by Enrile and Nograles to affirm their respective victories.

Aquino, son of martyred Sen. Benigno S. Aquino Jr. and the late president Corazon C. Aquino, was accompanied by his sisters, Ballsy, Kris, Biel, and Pinky who came with their respective families.

Also seen in the gallery was Aquino’s girlfriend, Valenzuela Councilor Shalani Solidad. She did not ascend the rostrum.

Binay had his wife, former Makati City Mayor Elenita Binay, and their children and grandchildren in tow.

The mixed crowd of Aquino and Binay supporters chanted “Noy-Bi, Noy-Bi” as the two newly-elected officials were ushered into the jampacked session hall.

Plans for a viva voce voting for the adoption of the committee report and the resolutions were abandoned when nobody raised any objection to the motion to adopt.

Roll calls were likewise dispensed with although it was noted that only a handful senators were present.

Still smarting from criticism due to their failure to constitute quorum for the ratification of the freedom of information measure last Friday, congressmen came in full force.

In his concession speech delivered by Sen. Estrada, ex-President Estrada described Aquino’s victory as “divinely inspired”.

“I believe that Sen. Aquino has the mandate of the electorate. Aquino stood up to the challenge when destiny called him to run for president under circumstrances that was divinely inspired,” Estrada said as he noted that the legacy left by the next president’ parents.

The speakers in the proceedings badgered on the failures of the automated election which they said were either caused by technical troubles or human errors.

“We must put on record that the PCOS were not really completely reliable and some were tainted with anomalies,” Pimentel stressed in his sponsorship speech.

On the other hand, Defensor called for amendments to the constitution.

“The automated elections improved our political system and it has heightened the faith of our people in the electoral system. But at the same time, it has given us a clear insight to the defects and shortcomings of the system,” said Defensor, who will serve as governor of Iloilo.

Defensor said the canvassing proceedings has also given us the opportunity to give serious thought to the need for a review the provisions of the constitution concerning the automated elections.