Solons allay Leni’s fears of ballot recount to make Bongbong VP

Vice President Leni Robredo and former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. —INQUIRER PHOTOS

Lawmakers allied to President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday tried to dispel the fears of Vice President Leni Robredo of an alleged ballot recount to steal the vice presidency from her in favor of her defeated rival Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

In a press conference at the House of Representatives, Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro, a deputy speaker, said there was no basis for Robredo to allege that there would be a recount without the permission of the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET).

READ: Robredo camp warns vs plans to recount ballots sans PET nod

“Ako’y naniniwala na ang pangamba ni Vice President Robredo ay walang basehan sapagkat ang mga taumbayan ang nagluklok sa kanya sa pwesto at hindi siya appointive,” Castro said of his former colleague Robredo, who used to be a Camarines Sur congresswoman.

He added there was no reason for Robredo to fear that her defeated rival, former Sen. Bongbong Marcos, would win the electoral protest. Robredo beat Marcos by a slim margin of 200,000 votes.

READ: Robredo seeks dismissal of Marcos Jr.’s poll protest

There was also no reason to doubt the impartiality of the PET, Castro said.

“Kung ang pangamba ni Vice President Leni Robredo ay siya ay maaalis sa kaniyang pagka-Vice President dahil sa protesta na fi-nile sa kanya ni dating senador Bongbong Marcos, palagay ko ngayon ay walang basehan yan, sapagkat ako bilang Filipino ay naniniwala pa rin sa impartiality ng PET,” he said.

“Huwag nating pangunahan ito,” he added.

Robredo’s camp has expressed alarm over rumored plans to recount ballots without permission from the PET supposedly to “steal” the vice presidency.

“Walang basehan na mag-isip ng ganun si Vice President Robredo. It’s just a thought, it has no basis at this point,” said Diwa Rep. Emmeline Aglipay-Villar, wife of Public Works Secretary Mark Villar.

READ: Move on, Robredo camp tells Bongbong

Robredo’s camp earlier raised alarm over a text message from a “trusted source” which read:

“Recount of ballots from 4-5 provinces will start end of November and will finish by December, deliberations after. You can bet early next year, we have a new VP.”

Robredo even raised concern that the Supreme Court may oust her, following the high court’s decision granting the former President and dictator Ferdinand Marcos a hero’s burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. The dictator was given a hero’s burial last Friday, amid mounting protests.

READ: Marcos laid to rest in ‘sneaky’ rites at Libingan ng mga Bayani

The dictator’s namesake and son Bongbong Marcos has asked the PET to reopen ballot boxes in various clustered precincts, annul the election results in Lanao del Sur, Basilan and Maguindanao, and recount the votes from 22 provinces and five cities.

Duterte had joked that the Marcos son could replace Robredo as vice president. A close ally of the Marcoses, the President had campaigned for a hero’s burial for the late dictator./rga

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