Robredo lawyer to Bongbong: There is no pending motion delaying recount

The lead counsel of Vice President Leni Robredo on Monday said there is no pending motion before the Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, that is delaying the election protest of former Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.

"Mr. Marcos is bluffing on his challenge to withdraw all motions as there is no motion pending at the Presidential Electoral Tribunal that would or could delay the recount," Atty. Romulo Macalintal said in a statement.

Macalintal said that the Marcos' challenge of signing a joint motion withdrawing all of their pending motions is a "clear manifestation that he regrets and lacks confidence in the would be results of the recount."

"It is his diversionary tactic to avoid the great embarrassment and humiliation he would suffer once the people know that Marcos' claimed bombshell of evidence would turn out to be a dud," he said.

"A great insult to the intelligence of the electorate whom Marcos deceived with his election protest where he claimed he had truckloads of evidence only to withdraw this claim and said he would just rely on the ballots to be recounted," he added.

Marcos' spokesperson Victor Rodriguez said on Sunday that they have been instructed by the former senator to draft a joint motion withdrawing their outstanding motions in order to hasten the recount for the election protest.

Marcos earlier claimed that he found proof of fraud to support his election protest against Robredo after they had reviewed some of the soft copies of ballot images from clustered precincts in several towns in the pilot provinces of Camarines Sur and Negros Oriental.

He said copies of ballot images from Barangay Salvacion in Tigaon, Camarines sur and barangays Poblacion and Jilocon in Negros Oriental show that votes for him were not counted and were considered undervotes.

Marcos said that in some of the ballot images, even though two or more candidates were shaded in the vice presidential race, the votes still went for Robredo instead of being declared overvotes.

Macalintal, however, said the results of the recount would just "greatly disappoint Marcos" since it will only "confirm the results as counted by the vote counting machines."

"It means that his protest is now facing its eventual dismissal," he said.

Marcos, son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, lost to Robredo by 263,473 votes in the May 2016 election which the former senator claimed was marred by fraud. —ALG, GMA News