Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 30) — Days after lamenting delays in resolving his poll protest, the camp of Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos said it wants more time to comment on the results of the recount as required by the Supreme Court.
In an October 23 motion, Marcos’ lawyers asked the court to defer a standing deadline to respond to the results of the recount of votes for the vice presidential race in three provinces.
The high court sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) did not decide on the electoral protest during the last en banc session presided over by former Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin on October 15. Instead, the justices ordered the release of the committee report on the result of the poll recount to Marcos and to the camp of incumbent Vice President Leni Robredo.
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Marcos’ team said they received the high court’s resolution on October 21. Both camps were given 20 days to comment on the result of the ballot recount covering votes for the vice presidential race during the May 2016 polls.
Marcos lodged an electoral protest against Robredo on June 30, 2016, questioning the results of the polls. Robredo was proclaimed vice president after clinching a lead of 263,473 votes against Marcos. A recount began in April 2018 covering polling precincts in Iloilo, Camarines Sur — Robredo’s bailiwick — and Negros Oriental, which were areas handpicked by Marcos’ camp.
The PET instructed Marcos and Robredo to submit their comments on the revision of votes in the pilot provinces, wherein Robredo gained 15,000 more votes during the recount. The court also asked for each camp’s position on Marcos’ request to nullify votes in Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, and Basilan.
The court said the “voluminous” report on the ballot recount in the pilot areas, together with annexes, will be made available to both parties for “inspection and review.” However, Marcos’ camp wants to have all these papers photocopied for their perusal.
“Protestant Marcos is constrained to request this honorable tribunal to allow him to photocopy the said report/s to enable him to comply with the directive of this honorable tribunal to file his comment thereon,” read the manifestation filed by the losing bet.
Marcos named 15 authorized representatives to photocopy the materials. He also asked the court to deduct all the expenses for his request from the cash deposit he paid in 2017, referring to a ₱66-million fee collected by the PET to fund the poll recount. Robredo was billed ₱15 million for her counter-protest.
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“Considering that the photocopying of the reports has yet to commence, protestant Marcos is likewise constrained to move for the deferment of his deadline to submit his comments on the said report/s on the revision and the appreciation of votes until the requested photocopying of the documents reports is granted and completed,” he added.
Both Marcos and Robredo lamented delays in resolving the poll protest, with the former senator claiming he’s been “robbed” of his seat for three years and counting. Robredo maintained she’s the legitimate winner, claiming the recount as a second victory.
The next vice presidential elections are set in May 2022.
CNN Philippines Correspondent Anjo Alimario contributed to this report.
