Robredo: Marcos lying about Comelec rule on shading threshold
MANILA, Philippines — Former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is lying when he said that the Commission on Elections did not adopt the 25-percent threshold in the automated counting of ballots during the 2016 elections, Vice President Leni Robredo said.
Robredo said that Comelec records show that the threshold used for 2016 was 25 percent while the 50-percent threshold was used in the 2010 polls.
"He is lying... because records will show. In fact, the Comelec resolution on this was attached to our pleading,” she said when asked to react to Marcos’ comment that the 25-percent threshold was not backed by any resolution.
On Monday, Marcos, the son and namesake of the late dictator, filed an opposition before the Supreme Court, which sits as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, to Robredo's pleading asking the body to reconsider its decision to adopt the 50-percent threshold.
Marcos stressed that there was “no categorical declaration in the Comelec Resolution No. 16-0600 that the 25 percent shading threshold was adopted by the Comelec En Banc in determining the valid votes during the judicial recount and revision of ballots in an election protest.”
Romulo Macalintal, the vice president’s lead election lawyer, said that the counting of ballots shaded at least 25 percent was already confirmed by the body in its en banc resolution dated Sept. 6, 2016 which adopted the recommendation of Commissioner Luie Guia.
Marcos supporters on social media have pointed out that the resolution was issued months after the May 2016 polls.
Macalintal warned that adopting the 50-percent threshold would result in the disenfranchisement of both Robredo’s and Marcos’ supporters, a view also shared by the vice president.
“The two of us should be the ones complaining because we will both be affected. Some of the votes of our supporters will not be considered because of technicality. It’s surprising that he did not want to know the real sentiments of the people,” Robredo said in Filipino.
She stressed that what was important was to know the choice of the Filipino voters, who should not be disenfranchised because of Marcos’ desire to return to power.
“You cannot twist legalities, you cannot twist facts just to get what you want,” Robredo said.
Marcos is alleging that vote-counting machines used during the 2016 elections were rigged to favor Robredo, who was the official candidate of the then ruling Liberal Party.
The vice president, who is the current chairperson of the party, has denied all allegations of irregularity.
Marcos needs to substantially recover votes in the three pilot provinces he chose for the manual recount for the PET to proceed to the rest of the areas where he alleged cheating happened. Without this substantial recovery, his protest will be junked.
When asked if she is confident of her victory, Robredo said, “Very confident, very confident because there was no cheating that happened.”
Romulo Macalintal, the lawyer of Vice President Leni Robredo, challenges defeated candidate Bongbong Marcos to sign a memorandum to prove his claims of electoral fraud against Robredo.
VP Leni's lawyer .@atty_mac challenges Marcos to sign MOA to prove his claims of fraud thru VCMs. @PhilippineStar pic.twitter.com/X1EUeiH6bW
— sheila crisostomo (@shecrisostomo) January 31, 2017
An organization of Martial Law victims welcomes the junking of former Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s electoral protest against Vice President Leni Robredo, saying the rejection of claims of electoral fraud makes it "now clear that Marcos' baseless and malicious protest and accusations are mere tantrums of a brat who can't accept defeat."
Danilo dela Fuente, spokesperson of Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA), says Robredo's election as vice president in the 2016 polls "is a strong rejection of their desperate attempts to wash off their bloody record of human rights violations and corruption during Martial Law."
Dela Fuente stresses though, that Marcos' defeat at the polls does not mean an end to the campaign to hold the Marcoses accountable.
"Justice is yet to be served. Imelda Marcos, despite being found guilty by the Sandiganbayan of amassing wealth from plundering the nation's coffers, is still free, while many elderly and sickly political prisoners are languishing behind bars due to trumped up cases," he says.
The former first lady is appealing seven counts of graft that the Sandiganbayan convicted her of in 2018. Marcos was found guilty of creating private foundations in Switzerland from 1978 to 1984 that allowed her family to funnel illegally amassed government funds during the Martial Law period.
The camp of defeated vice presidential bet Bongbong Marcos insists that the Presidential Electoral Tribunal has yet to decide on their third cause of action.
Marcos' third cause of action is the annulment of votes in Mindanao.
According to Marcos' spokesperson Vic Rodriguez, the tribunal only unanimously voted to dismiss their second cause of action, which is the manual recount and judicial revision.
The Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, has unanimously dismissed the election protested of former Sen. Bongbong Marcos against Vice President Leni Robredo, according to a source. — report from News5
JUST IN | The Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, has unanimously dismissed the electoral protest that former senator Bongbong Marcos filed against Vice Pres. Leni Robredo. (via News5/@dqdevera) pic.twitter.com/mPYssR92BG
— ONE News PH (@onenewsph) February 16, 2021
Lawyers of Vice President Leni Robredo ask the Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, to investigate for possible collusion between Solicitor General Jose Calida, 19 assistant solicitors general and defeated vice presidential bet Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. in "besmirching the reputation" of Associate Justice Marvic Leonen.
"Indeed, how does siding with one man serve the welfare of the people; and, why would he take up the position of the defeated candidate whose interest is to call into question and effectively disenfranchise the vote of the people of the Philippines?" Robredo's lawyers ask the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG).
Noting "eerily similar" motions for inhibition of Leonen, Robredo's legal team accuses the OSG of lawyering for Marcos.
The Liberal Party, of which Vice President Leni Robredo is chair, says it hopes the Supreme Court will finally decide on former Sen. Ferdinand Marcos' election protest against her.
"VP Robredo defeated Marcos by 263,473 votes in the 2016 vice presidential elections. This lead further grew to 278,566 votes with an additional 15,093 votes from a recount that Mr. Marcos himself pushed for. Malinaw na panalo si VP Leni noong 2016. Malinaw na siya rin ang nagwagi sa recount. Wala nang dapat hintayin pa ang Korte Suprema. Wala nang dahilan para pahabain pa ang kasong ito," the minority party says.
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