Bongbong dares Leni: Proceed to recount

MANILA, Philippines — Former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. challenged yesterday Vice President Leni Robredo to withdraw her motion in connection with his electoral protest so both sides could proceed to a recount of contested ballots in the May 2016 vice presidential race.

But Robredo’s camp branded as another “PR stunt” and “Marcosian tactic” this challenge for them to file a joint motion asking the Supreme Court (SC) to withdraw all pending motions in a bid to fast-track his case.

Lawyer Vic Rodriguez, spokesman for Marcos, asked Robredo to sign a joint motion “withdrawing all our outstanding motions so we could go straight to the recount.”

“We have been instructed by (former) senator Marcos to draft the joint motion and Senator Marcos is ready to sign it anytime. We are fervently hoping that Mrs. Robredo will do the same,” Rodriguez said.

“In so doing, we could hasten the process and go straight to the ballots. The ballots are the best evidence and we should just proceed with the recount,” he said.

He said proceeding to the recount would clear “conclusively” issues on the ballot images, undervotes and overvotes.  

He said Marcos believes that an issue as fundamental as the conduct of elections should not be kept hanging for years. 

“Unfortunately, in the vice presidential race, it has been almost two years and we have yet to see a single ballot,” Rodriguez said.

“Sen. Marcos is not only doing this for himself but for the rest of the Filipino people who deserve to know the truth,” he said.

However, Maria Bernadette Sardillo, one of Robredo’s legal counsels, said the Vice President’s camp has no pending case before the SC, sitting as Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET).

“It is pure PR because we don’t have any pending motion. Again, another publicity stunt; another day of revising history and confusing the public – Marcosian tactics indeed,” Sardillo said in a statement.

Sardillo said Marcos is the one who has a pending motion before the PET.

“Just like the previous times that they have filed frivolous motions after the other to no end but delay the case,” she said.

“If they really want a recount, they should go to PET instead, not the public. It’s the PET, which will decide the merits of the case,” the lawyer added.

Robredo has repeatedly said a speedy resolution would be in her best interest since it would stop Marcos from “spreading lies” about the May 2016 vice presidential election.

She also remained confident that she would still emerge as the winner after the recount of votes in three pilot areas chosen by Marcos in his protest, including Robredo’s home province of Camarines Sur.

The recount of votes is expected to start on the third week of this month, according to Robredo’s lead counsel Romulo Macalintal.

Marcos is contesting the poll results in 39,221 clustered precincts, while Robredo’s counter-protest covers 8,042 clustered precincts.

Robredo won against Marcos by a slim margin of over 265,000 votes.  – With Helen Flores