WHY ROBREDO’S AHEAD, FOR NOW.

Recount in 3 pilot provinces has increased lead of Leni Robredo. Next PET ruling for Leni would throw out protest. If tribunal’s next ruling would favor Bongbong instead, a new election still has to be held in 3 other provinces. In either case, Marcos still couldn’t replace Robredo.

THE Supreme Court, sitting as Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), could have:

(1) dismissed outright Bongbong Marcos’s protest, under the Presidential Electoral Tribunal’s Rule 65 since Marcos made no “significant gain” in the recount in Iloilo, Camarines Sur and Negros Oriental; or

(2) granted Bongbong’s other cause of action, i.e. to annul the results in the VP post in three other provinces (Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur and Basilan).

Instead, the PET only ordered the two contenders to comment on whether results of the recount would make it unnecessary to go into Marcos’s second cause of action: to nullify the results in three other provinces. Necessarily, it ordered the release of the initial results.

The PET said neither side won yet. That’s correct in the sense that the protest is not yet concluded but as of this stage Leni has the upper hand because the tribunal’s next ruling for her could throw out the case while that for Bongbong would merely lead to a new election for VP in the three other named provinces.

Robredo would remain seated as the No. 2 highest official while waiting for the PET to make the next moves.