By Charmaine A. Tadalan
SOLICITOR-GENERAL Jose C. Calida has filed a manifestation and motion before the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) in response to Vice-President Maria Leonor G. Robredo’s motion for reconsideration (MR) for a 25% threshold in the vote tally.
Mr. Calida requested the PET to grant the Comelec ten days to submit its comment on Ms. Robredo’s MR to reverse the PET’s April 10 resolution that there is no “basis to impose the 25% threshold in determining whether a vote is valid.”
The Office of the Solicitor-General (OSG) had previously been given ten days by the PET to submit its comment, which it failed to meet.
Mr. Calida said the OSG, as legal counsel of the Comelec, had already filed motions for extensions, “not to delay the proceedings in favor of one or the other party, but to study whether the Solicitor-General should file a comment on behalf of Comelec.”
He also said PET had “sole authority” under the Constitution to judge the election contest in question and that Comelec had “no jurisdiction” over it.
Mr. Calida said further that imposing the 50% threshold is reasonable, considering that the recount is conducted manually. The PET had earlier said it imposed the 50% threshold to take into account the human eye’s inability to distinguish the 25% threshold.
Moreover, he said the 50% threshold will not disenfranchise voters, arguing that voters had been repeatedly reminded to fully shade their ballots.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR