Noli: Loren needs P10 M for vote recount

Former senator Loren Legarda, vice presidential running mate of Fernando Poe Jr. in the 2004 elections, must deposit at least P10 million to the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) to pay for the recount of votes in 47 provinces where she has questioned the validity of the ballots, the chief election counsel of Vice President Noli de Castro said yesterday.

Lawyer Romulo Macalintal, who is now calling the shots in De Castro’s defense, told The STAR yesterday he would ask the PET to require Legarda to comply with PET Rule of Procedure No. 30 to make a monetary deposit.

"We will be filing this formal petition this week, considering that Legarda’s lawyers have already identified the provinces and precincts to be recounted," he said.

"So that the SC can now determine the total amount of deposit that would be necessary to collect the ballot boxes and other election documents as well as the compensation for the revisers."

Macalintal said as much as P50 million would be spent for the reopening of ballot boxes in 47 provinces, and that Legarda must deposit not less than P10 million for the procedure to begin in six priority provinces identified by her lawyer.

"That protest (of Legarda) is an exercise in futility because we’re very confident that once the ballot boxes are opened and the votes recanvassed and recounted, we think it might even surpass his lead over her," he said.

Even if the Supreme Court orders a recount, he added, De Castro would still maintain his close to 900,000 margin of winning votes against Legarda.

Macalintal said the same rule of making a deposit would apply to De Castro who filed his own counter-petition against Legarda at the PET.

"So, it’s but fair that since they (Legarda) were the first to ask for revision, they must pay for the deposit," he said.

"Because she (Legarda) would be practically fishing for evidence at the expense of Vice President De Castro, so much so if nothing is found out in the revision, Vice President De Castro is at the losing end." — Marichu Villanueva, Jose Rodel Clapano