MANILA, Philippines – The camp of Vice President Leni Robredo pointed to results of a Supreme Court recount, which showed Robredo gaining, not losing, votes as further proof of her victory in 2016 against the son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
Ma. Bernadette Sardillo, Robredo’s lawyer, cited an opinion by Associate Justice Benjamin Caguioa which recommended dismissal of Marcos’ claim he won the VP race but was cheated. The opinion, according to Sardillo, was based on recount results that showed Robredo gaining 15,000 votes over Marcos.
The results of the recount, made public by the Supreme Court sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), “only affirmed our consistent position” that Robredo won “fair and square” in the provinces of Iloilo, Camarines Sur and Negros Oriental, where Marcos claimed he was cheated, Sardillo said in a statement.
Lawyer Barry Gutierrez, Robredo’s spokesperson, asked Marcos to “move on”, using the same words that the family of the late dictator uttered to critics saying the family that ruled the country for more than 20 years has yet to answer for abuses and thievery during their reign.
“It is clear that Marcos lost in the recount of provinces he himself picked,” Gutierrez said in a separate statement written in Filipino.
“Our position is clear. This is a definite basis to dismiss the protest,” Gutierrez said. “I would tell Mr. Marcos the same favorite phrase of his family—move on, you lost, accept it,” he said.
“Clearly, we won in May 2016 and we have proven our victory again in the recount,” Gutierrez added.
“The Marcos camp should respect the decision of the Filipino people and not confuse the public with misinformation and lies,” Sardillo said.
Last Tuesday, the PET ordered the release of initial results of the recount in the three provinces where Marcos claimed he was a victim of massive election fraud. Marcos’ father was ousted following widespread protests over massive fraud in the 1985 snap elections which the late democracy icon Corazon Aquino won but which Marcos had rigged.
The two camps said they have no copies of the recount results yet, but Caguioa’s opinion was hinged on claims that Robredo even gained 15,000 more votes over Marcos, which had been revealed previously by another lawyer of the Vice President, Romulo Macalintal.
READ: On Marcos poll protest: Stand by your rules, Robredo urges PET
READ: Robredo prods PET to release initial recount results to avoid speculations
“From the beginning, this is what we have been saying, that according to the recount, Robredo’s votes only increased,” Gutierrez said.
“We were called liars, accused of peddling fake news. Now, our question is, who is proven to be lying?” Gutierrez added./TSB