By: Rey Panaligan
The Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) has dismissed former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s challenge on the authenticity of the 2016 election results that were used as bases for the proclamation of Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo as it opted to concentrate on the actual revision of ballots in 36,465 clustered precincts he contested in his protest.
In a resolution, the PET, composed of all the 15 justices of the Supreme Court (SC), also decided on concentrate on Marcos’ bid to annul the results of the election for vice president in Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, and Basilan on the grounds of “terrorism, intimidation and harassment of voters….”
The PET said its decision “dispenses with the need to determine if the other nationally and locally elected officials who won in the 2016 elections would need to be impleaded as indispensable parties” in the protest and counter protest between Marcos and Robredo, respectively. The ruling also dispenses with the need to implead the Commission on Elections (Comelec) as a party to the cases.
Robredo got 14,418,817 votes or 263,473 votes more than Marcos’ 14,155,344 votes in the 2016 vice presidential election.