The Supreme Court, as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), should dismiss the electoral protest of Bongbong Marcos for failure to make substantial recovery of votes in the three pilot provinces which Marcos himself, with the allegation of being cheated specifically in the province of Negros Oriental, Iloilo, and Camarines Sur. The public also deserves to know the results of the recount.
The PET is asking both parties to comment on the results as well as on Marcos’s motion to nullify the results in Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Maguindanao is unfair to Robredo. It is not incumbent upon the alleged to show cause; rather, it is incumbent upon the one alleging to prove that cheating occurred. For what is there for Robredo to comment on, when Marcos is the one who is protesting? Certainly, Robredo has got nothing to do with the electoral system that has put her into power.
The PET should also keep in mind that the same electoral system that made Robredo the country’s Vice President is also the same system that made Rodrigo Duterte our President, along with other twelve Senators. The Supreme Court already junked Marcos’ motion questioning the integrity of the 2016 elections.
Trust and confidence in the electoral process continue to increase following the success of the 2019 midterm elections. The Pulse Asia survey conducted in June 2019 reported that 87% of Filipinos were satisfied with the automated polling system through the Vote Counting Machines (VCM)—a 4% increase from the 2016 election figures. Visayas and Mindanao recorded the highest satisfaction, at 91% and 85% respectively.
According to Pulse Asia, their findings show that people’s preference for automation is highly influenced by the faster generation of results. Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, which was responsible for the unofficial tally, reported that they received and verified 60,139 electronic and manual return, a 99.995 percent match rate. Legal Network for Truthful Elections, on the other hand, successfully randomly audited 711 precincts and came out with a 99.9953 percent accuracy rate.
We have successfully transitioned to better times where technological advancements have avoided occurrences of electoral fraud. The PET must recognize this progress in our system and exercise due diligence in improving and sustaining this positive progress.
There is clear and convincing evidence that should have already put an end to this protest. The highest court must have compliance to the law and Rule 65 of the Rules of Court should have been strictly observed. We urge the Tribunal to dismiss the protest and protect the democratic institutions that have given us our duly elected leaders, for better or worse.
We trust that the PET will not succumb to any political pressure. Upholding the rule of law is crucial to Philippine democracy.