(Eagle News) — Several students have asked the Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, to implement the 25-percent ballot shading threshold in the ongoing vice presidential election recount.
The students who reportedly came from Bicol are pushing for the same ballot threshold their supposed province-mate Vice President Leni Robredo is calling for.
Robredo’s request, however, has been denied by the PET through a decision penned by Associate Justice Alfredo Caguioa.
She has filed a motion for reconsideration.
“While we respect the decision of the Supreme Court, sitting as PET, we are greatly alarmed by its recent promulgation allowing the use of the P50-percent threshold..,” the group said in a letter filed before the office of Caguioa.
Parroting Robredo’s argument, the students said that “many voters” from both sides will be “disenfranchised” if the P50-percent threshold was implemented.
“Meaning, the choice of Filipinos will not be fully counted, and the result of the recount will not reflect the true choice of the people,” they said.
The students’ request came amid reports Robredo shed 21,000 votes in her favor following the implementation of the 50-percent ballot shading threshold.
Robredo has denied the reports.
The manual recount that stems from the electoral protest filed by former Senator Bongbong Marcos initially covers three provinces. Moira Encina