Leni urges PET: Ignore OSG

Vice President Leni Robredo has urged the Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), to shun Solicitor General Jose Calida’s comment supporting the court’s decision that could cost her votes in the ongoing recount of ballots cast in the 2016 vice presidential elections.

In a 12-page manifestation, Robredo said Calida falsely argued that the rules crafted by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in conducting the manual audit of the votecounting machines should not be applied to the electoral protest filed against her by former Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Client contradicted

She filed the petition after Calida, who actively supported Marcos’ failed vice presidential bid, contradicted his client, the Comelec, in questioning the PET’s decision imposing a 50percent shading threshold.

This was higher than the 25percent ballot-shading requirement implemented by the Comelec during the automated elections, which Robredo said should be also used in the recount.

“This erroneous position taken by [Calida] will erode the very foundation of our democracy,” Robredo’s July 13 manifestation read in part.

No ‘personal knowledge’

“The whims of one person cannot outweigh the overwhelming choice of the elec- torate,” it added.

Romulo Macalintal, the Vice President’s lead counsel, said the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) had no “personal knowledge” to claim that applying a higher shading threshold would not result in the disenfranchisement of voters.

The son and namesake of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos had questioned the Vice President’s victory, claiming she secured her lead of more than 260,000 votes over him through cheating.