MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo on Saturday slammed the camp of his defeated rival Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for “tarnishing” the credibility of the initial vote recount by the Supreme Court, the results of which showed her lead widened by 15,000 votes.
The SC, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, released Friday a resolution on the election protest filed by Marcos against Robredo showing that the latter’s votes increased from 263,473 to 278,566 after a recount covering three pilot provinces.
Marcos’ spokesman, Vic Rodriguez, on Saturday said Robredo’s “premature celebration and claim of another fake victory in the Tribunal was a product of advance information she’s been receiving all along through a highly placed deep throat.”
In response, Robredo said she and Marcos already knew about the results even before the PET released the resolution as both parties had representatives during the initial recount of votes.
“So para bahiran nila ng pagdududa iyong Supreme Court, kasalanan nila iyon,” Robredo said.
(So they’re tainting the Supreme Court with doubts. That’s their fault.)
“Parang ang pinapalabas nila ngayon, dahil talo sila sa recount, ginagawa pa nilang kaduda-duda iyong Presidential Electoral Tribunal when in fact, mayroon silang sariling watchers doon,” she added.
(They’re trying to make it appear that because they lost in the recount, they’re tarnishing the credibility of the Presidential Electoral Tribunal when in fact, they have their own watchers there.)
The latest development was a major blow to the poll protest filed by the only son and namesake of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Robredo is already halfway through her six-year term.
In the resolution, the PET said it will give both sides the opportunity to examine the results of the initial recount and comment “so that they are fully and fairly heard on all related legal issues.” — Ian Nicolas Cigaral with a report from Kristine Joy Patag