PET poises contempt raps vs Robredo, Marcos

MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), yesterday issued a show cause order against Vice President Leni Robredo and former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. over violations of the rule prohibiting public disclosure of information involving the election protest in the 2016 vice presidential race.

In a five-page resolution released yesterday, the PET specifically directed both camps to explain “why they should not be cited in contempt for violating the resolutions dated Feb. 13, 2018 and March 20, 2018.”

The previous orders imposed on the parties the sub judice rule pending proceedings in the poll protest, including the ongoing recount of votes in three pilot provinces. 

“Despite these stern directives of the Tribunal, several news reports have shown that the parties, their counsels and/or representatives, have nonetheless continued to disclose sensitive information regarding the revision process to the public, in clear violation of the aforementioned resolutions,” the PET explained in its latest directive.

“To be sure, the statements of the parties with respect to matters or concerns already referred to or pending resolution of the Tribunal, as well as statements and remarks pertaining resolution of the Tribunal (and) statements and remarks pertaining to the integrity of the revision process are within the clear ambit of the sub judice rule,” it stressed.

More wet ballots, missing receipts

Meanwhile, revisers have found more wet ballot boxes and missing voters’ receipts in two other towns in Camarines Sur in the recount of votes earlier this week.

Wet ballot boxes were found in clustered precincts in Sagñay town, according to insiders. The ballots were no longer readable so they were set aside.

Sources said revisers also found more ballot boxes with no voters’ receipts from the town of Balatan, bringing to 17 the number of ballot boxes with no voters’ receipts found so far.

During the first week of recount in the PET, several wet ballot boxes were found from Bato and Baao towns as well as Naga City in Camarines Sur. 

Some unused or excess ballots with shaded votes for Robredo and ballots cut into half were likewise discovered.

Missing audit logs from clustered precincts in Bato town were also discovered by revisers upon opening of the ballot boxes.

The camp of Marcos claimed that these discoveries could be proof of election fraud. But Robredo’s lawyer alleged that the former senator was only trying to taint the results of the recount and twisting the developments to favor his protest.

Four of the 40 head revisers have resigned from their duties only a day after the start of the recount. 

Marcos filed the protest on June 29, 2016, claiming that the camp of Robredo cheated in the automated polls in the May 2016 national polls.

In his protest, Marcos contested the results in a total of 132,446 precincts in 39,221 clustered precincts covering 27 provinces and cities. He sought for a recount in Camarines Sur, Iloilo and Negros Oriental covering a total of 5,418 clustered precincts.