The camp of Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo on Tuesday, April 17, filed a manifestation of grave concern to the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) in response to the recent “shameful” conduct of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr.’s lawyer in the ongoing election recount, according to a press statement.
Ms. Robredo’s chief legal counsel, Romulo B. Macalintal, in the statement accused Mr. Marcos lawyer Joan M. Padilla of “(going) around the revision area, aggressively telling the PET Head Revisors to implement the 50-percent threshold percentage, and to post the PET resolution ‘in every corner of table in the revision area,'” following the court’s dismissal of Ms. Robredo’s motion to uphold a 25-percent shading threshold in determining the validity of votes.
“The action of Atty. Padilla is a clear sign of the desire of protestant Marcos to win at all costs, fair or foul by disenfranchising innocent legitimate voters who are not aware of the technicalities and in utter disregard of existing jurisprudence in revision that the will of the voter shall be given effect setting aside any technicalities,” the 8-page petition read. — Dane Angelo M. Enerio