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Marcos spox hits Robredo for ‘fake news’ tag on reports on shrinking vote lead


The spokesman of former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Friday criticized Vice President Leni Robredo for tagging as "fake news" media reports on her allegedly dwindling vote lead over her defeated rival.

In a statement, lawyer Vic Rodriguez said Robredo's reaction to the reports was a "desperate attempt to dilute" information adverse to her in Marcos' election protest against her, part of which is a manual vote recount in three pilot provinces.

"Not satisfied in casting aspersions meant to undermine the integrity of the Tribunal and of the ongoing manual recount, Robredo is at it again, this time attacking and discrediting members of the press and dragging Senator Marcos in her desperate attempt to dilute all negative news affecting her in the election protest," Rodriguez said.

Newspapers such as the Philippine Star, the Manila Bulletin, the Manila Times, and the Manila Standard on Thursday published reports citing insiders that Robredo's lead over Marcos has shrunk by over 21,000 votes a month into the recount.

Robredo defeated Marcos in the 2016 polls by 263,473 votes, a victory the former senator claims was marred by fraud.

Initially reacting to a tweet by the Philippine Star, the vice president called the information "fake news" and "propaganda," also mentioning a "PR stunt" from two weeks ago, which alleged she had lost 5,000 votes. Her lawyer has denied this.

"Both are fake. If you really won the elections, why the need for fake news?" she wrote. "We already know which camp this comes from," she said in another tweet.

 

 

 

In her own court pleadings, however, Robredo reported a "systematic decrease" in her votes during the recount, which she attributes to the PET's application of a 50-percent instead of a 25-percent ballot shading threshold in the recount process.

While maintaining a claim of "high regard" to the PET, Robredo's lawyer Romulo Macalintal denied the alleged 20,000-vote reduction.

"There is no such official finding made by the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) and any such data or information is a mere product of political propaganda by Robredo’s detractors," he said in a statement.

"We challenge any group spreading the news that Robredo was officially deducted by PET of such number of votes to show evidence of their claim," he said in a statement.

He interpreted the alleged reduction of votes as "mere observations or objections" raised by revisors from Marcos' camp caused by the "confusion of the correct percentage threshold" to be applied in the manual recount.

"But we are very confident that with the resolution of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) sustaining 25% threshold, the said objections to Robredo’s votes will be denied," Macalintal said.

'Respect' sub judice rule

Rodriguez condemned Robredo for "attacking" the media on Thursday, World Press Freedom Day.

"If her votes have indeed been substantially reduced, it is not because of BBM (Bongbong Marcos) but of evidence of her cheating that have come out," he said.

"At this moment, it would be best if she just follow our lead in observing silence, shut her mouth for lack of sensible matter to say and accord utmost respect to members of the media and the Tribunal's resolution on sub judice."

The sub judice rule, which means "under judicial consideration," "restricts comments and disclosures pertaining to judicial proceedings to avoid prejudging the issue, influencing the court, or obstructing the administration of justice," the SC held in Romero vs. Estrada.

Both camps have been ordered by the PET to explain why they should not be cited in contempt for disclosing "sensitive" information about the recount. In their compliance to the order, the rivals through their lawyers denied they did.

Marcos said his statements on the revision proceedings were simply "observations" not intended to influence the Court or the public. Robredo, on the other hand, said she was "constrained" to answer "falsehoods" propagated by the former senator. — MDM, GMA News

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