Marcos: My votes going to Honasan

Vice presidential candidate Sen. Bongbong Marcos during a campaign sortie in Tarlac province on Monday, March 28, 2016.
INQUIRER PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

ORMOC CITY—Vice Presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday asked  the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to look into reports that votes intended for him in the overseas absentee voting (OAV) were going to a rival, Sen. Gregorio Honasan.

At a press conference here, Marcos said there were reports the receipts printed by the voting machines had Honasan’s name instead of his.

The incidents were reported in Hong Kong, Dubai, Kuwait and Okinawa.

“Only a few voted so far [under the OAV], but what about when  millions of votes are involved? What will happen?” Marcos said in Filipino.

The Comelec, he said, should explain  as to why this is happening. He also called on Smartmatic to look into the matter.

He said that apart from looking into the matter, the Comelec and Smartmatic must give an assurance that this would not happen again.

“No one will be happier than us if this is shown as a rumor.  I wish it were so because it is really hard to believe that these are happening in places which are thousands of miles apart.  A pattern is beginning to emerge,” Marcos said.

He said Honasan has been informed of the matter and pointed out that, as an honest person, his rival “would not want votes that do not belong to him.” Jeannette I. Andrade