The camp of independent vice presidential candidate Sen. Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. sent yesterday an urgent request to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the People’s Participation Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) to terminate the unofficial count.
With 90.99 percent of the total votes for the vice presidential race yesterday, Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo, an administration candidate, leads Marcos by “slim’’ margin in the six-member vice presidential race.
Rep. Jonathan de la Cruz, campaign adviser of Marcos, sent this statement to the media yesterday:
“It is unfortunate that while the whole country was asleep the glitch in the canvassing occurred and from then on we saw a progression of so-called “updates” that showed an alarming and suspicious trend reducing our lead contrary to the results of independent exit polls and our own internal surveys.
“In the past, the unofficial count was designed not to be completed to avoid the possibility of confusion and conflict with the official one. There is no reason for this not to be the norm this time around.
“Thus, although we are certain that if the unofficial count continues we will emerge victorious, we do not want the official canvass to be conducted by the National Board of Canvassers (NBC) pre-empted by the unofficial count.’’
The official canvass will be done on May 23 or May 24 by Congress after it has convened the NBC.
The NBC will tabulate the Comelec’s election returns (ERs) to be brought from the Senate to the House of Representatives and later proclaim the winners of the presidential and vice presidential races. (MARIO CASAYURAN)
