Recto defends self on vote-padding allegations

 The camp of Team Unity candidate and re-electionist senatorial candidate Ralph Recto denied having a hand in reports of possible vote-padding.

In a statement, the Recto camp said, "The inadvertent addition of votes to Senator Ralph G. Recto in the Davao City canvass came as a complete surprise to us."

"We support the call of the Commission on Elections and Namfrel to investigate what our poll officials have initially described as a 'clerical error', the statement read.

Likewise, they said the "unfortunate" incident in which they do not have a hand in has put them in a bad light.  They further said that they do not rule out the possibility that it was maliciously done to impugn the reputation of the Recto campaign which they said was conducted in a fair and high-level manner.

"We are concerned that this act to sabotage Senator Recto’s candidacy might be used to put a cloud of doubt on the mandate he will receive from the people," it noted.

Earlier, opposition senatorial bet Aquilino Pimentel III said some of his votes in Davao City were shaved and padded to Recto's.