Georgina Hernandez. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
The camp of Camarines Sur Representative Leni Robredo on Thursday expressed confidence that their candidate will be proclaimed vice president after the Congress finishes the canvassing votes for the presidential and vice presidential elections.
“We continue to remain confident that at the end of the canvassing, Congresswoman Leni Robredo will be proclaimed as the winner because we have copies of the Certificate of Canvass that will show that,” Robredo’s spokesperson Georgina Hernandez said in a radio interview.
Robredo was leading the Congress tally at the close of the first day of canvassing by more than 200,000 votes, but Marcos grabbed the lead and overtook her by more than a million on Thursday evening.
READ: Robredo leads VP race on day 1 of Congress canvassing
Noting the “smooth” opening of certificates of canvass at the House of Representatives, Hernandez shrugged off calls from the camp of Robredo’s rival Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to separately proclaim the winning president and vice president.
Hernandez said separate proclamation was not likely because COC was considered as a single document.
“What has been discussed in the joint Congress and also being followed by our National Board of Canvassers ay ang kada Certificate of Canvass para sa pagka-presidente at bise-presidente at titingnan bilang isang dokumento,” she said.
“Hindi pwedeng palabasin ang COC ng presidente na hindi pinapalabas ang sa bise-presidente,” Hernandez added.
(You can’t release the COCs of the president if you won’t release the vice president’s [COC].)
“So taken as one document ang COC. Sa tingin namin, hindi magkakaroon ng pagkakataon na mauunang maiproklama ang presidente at maiiwan ang bise president,” she said.
(So the COC is taken as one document. From how we see it, there’s no chance that the president will be proclaimed ahead of the vice president.)
Citing jurisprudence, election lawyer Romulo Macalintal said it would be unfair for voters who voted for vice president if presumptive President-elect Rodrigo Duterte would be proclaimed first.
“Hindi naman po pwede iyon kasi maliwanag sa ating juris prudence na hindi pinapayagan ng batas na magkakaroon ng vacancy kaagad ang isang position. Dapat iyan ay sabay kasi pareho lang naman ang dokumento niyan eh. Iisang [inaudible] ginamit, iisang balota, iisang Board of Canvassers, iisang mga electronic transmission,” Macalintal said in a radio interview.
“Kung valid ang isang Certificate of Canvass para sa presidente, valid din iyan para sa vice president. Hindi pupuwedeng valid ang isang COC for president and invalid for the vice president,” he added. TVJ