Manual recount in Bongbong-Leni poll protest rescheduled anew

The manual recount that is part of former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s election protest against Vice President Leni Robredo has been postponed anew, lawyers for both camps confirmed on Wednesday.

Marcos' lawyer Vic Rodriguez said the recount, which was supposed to start on March 19, has been moved further to April 2.

Rodriguez said that according to the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), the manual recount was moved again because "only 42 of the 50 revisors" had qualified or passed the required psychological exam.

"According to them, whether or not they can fill the remaining eight, manual recount will proceed on 2 April," said Rodriguez.

Marcos had said that the manual count was originally scheduled for February 8 but it was moved to March 19 because of the same reason, the psychological exam for the revisors.

He said the psychological exam is a "new" requirement.

Meanwhile, Robredo lawyer Maria Bernadette Sardillo cited a different reason for the rescheduled manual recount.

Sardillo said the manual recount was moved by PET because it was still preparing for the logistical requirements for the recount.

"We trust the PET in these proceedings as it is in our best interest to finish this protest to quash any doubt about the choice of the Filipino people and the victory of Vice President Leni Robredo," she said in a message to reporters.

The recount will first cover contested clustered precincts in the pilot provinces of Camarines Sur, Iloilo, and Negros Oriental.

Marcos, son of the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., lost to Robredo in the May 2016 elections by 263,473 votes. —ALG, GMA News