Senator Edgardo Angara on the proposal to canvass and investigate
COCs simultaneously Joint Congressional Committee
on Canvassing House of Representatives

We need a technical body that can assess the technological and factual aspects working side by side with the national canvassing board. It's not unlike the trial court appointing a board to assess the complex, factual issues. That's what we should do. I don't think that would negated by any political issue.

In the interest of time, we should avoid this procedural squabble which already took almost one hour. I think it's time to move forward...

The only question is who will compose the technical committee and to whom will they be accountable. The speaker already said that they should be accountable to us, the joint committee, and I agree with that, because that's our constitutional mandate. Now who will compose it? I leave it to the chair of the two panels. I for one will accept a nomination [to the TWG].

But wouldn't this take time? [Commissioner Melo] the proposal is for a group composed of members from COMELEC, the house and the senate and then they can organize themselves and create committees, and it's up to them to decide about how to investigate expeditiously but without sacrificing accuracy. We can set a deadline and if they have to work 48 hours a day to meet that, then they must. That's the main catchphrase, that's our goal -- to canvass speedily but without sacrificing accuracy.