‘Game over’ for Marcos poll protest — Robredo camp
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2019 11:40:22 +0000
THE camp of Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo reiterated on Wednesday that it was “game over” for the poll protest of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
Lawyer Romulo Macalintal, lead counsel for Robredo, said that the Vice President’s lead remained intact following the conclusion of the recount, revision, and re-appreciation of ballots from the three pilot provinces chosen by Marcos.
Robredo’s camp filed an eight-page Supplemental Manifestation before the Supreme Court, acting as Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), to say that Marcos did not make a substantial recovery from Camarines Sur, Iloilo, and Negros Oriental, which he accused of electoral fraud, irregularities and anomalies that resulted in his loss in the vice presidential race.’Game over’
In a letter dated January 22, the PET confirmed with Macalintal that the revision proceedings in the Marcos vs Robredo case was suspended last Monday and would only resume until further notice.
“This is to give way for the Tribunal to prepare for the revision using the decrypted ballots and/or election paraphernalia. The revision proceedings will resume until further notice,” said Edgar Aricheta, clerk of the Tribunal.
Under the revision proceedings, the revision committee would use the decrypted ballot images from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to read the ballots. This will be followed by ballot appreciation where the PET will rule on the claims by both parties.
For Macalintal, however, the suspended revision proceedings would have no impact on the protest as a whole.
“I don’t see any impact on the ongoing revision or recount. They said we will be advised when the recount is set to resume. But I don’t think there will be another recount since it’s already done,” the election lawyer said.
Marcos previously filed a motion for the PET to issue a subpoena duces tecum on some documents involving a technical examination conducted in Lanao del Sur, Basilan, and Maguindanao, which are outside the designation of his pilot provinces.
He still needs to get a substantial recovery in the chosen provinces before the ballot recount could proceed in other areas, which he also questioned in his protest.
Under Rule 65 of the 2010 PET Rules, the Tribunal will determine, “after an examination of the ballots and proof, after making reasonable allowances and taking all circumstances into account, whether the protestant or counter-protestant will most probably fail to make out his case.”
Marcos lost to Robredo by 263,472 votes in the May 2016 polls. GLEE JALEA
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