Marcos urges supporters calling for recount to keep cool

Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has his own “quick count” center set up in his campaign headquarters. NIÑO JESUS ORBETA/INQUIRER

Vice presidential candidate Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Wednesday urged his supporters on social media to stay calm amid cheating allegations in the unofficial count by the Commission on Elections transparency server which showed him trailing behind administration bet Rep. Leni Robredo.

“’Yung ating mga kasamahan, yung ating mga supporter na nanawagang mag-rally sa Facebook, huminahon po kayo. Magpalamig lang tayo ng ulo (To our supporters on Facebook calling for rally, let’s calm down. Let’s keep our heads cool),” Marcos said.

Marcos issued the statement after a handful of supporters congregated under a tree at Luneta Park in Manila to demand a recount.

He said the unofficial count initially showed him leading on Monday night, but eventually cut his lead behind Robredo early Tuesday.

He said there was a glitch in the unofficial count because his lead was cut one to two percent in every update.

“What was even more puzzling was that the drop in my lead began after Comelec had said there was a glitch that delayed the updates of the transmitted votes in the transparency server,” Marcos said.

Marcos had accused Liberal Party of massive cheating as part of the administration’s “Plan B” to make Robredo win and have unofficial count front-runner Rodrigo Duterte impeached in a bid to regain control over Malacañang.

READ: Marcos on Robredo lead: ‘Plan B’ in full swing

“As we warned earlier, this could be part of a plot to mask efforts to rig election results,” Marcos said.

He said the results of the unofficial Comelec count, which shows Robredo leading Marcos by over 200,000 votes, contradicted survey results, giving “substance” to their concern.

Robredo had denounced the allegations, saying Marcos was being unfair in accusing her of cheating without showing proof.

“Napaka-unfair na masabing nandadaya na hindi mo naman sina-substantiate (It’s so unfair to accuse someone of cheating without substantiating your claim),” Robredo said in a press briefing on Tuesday.

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