Robredo lawyer: Contested PET 'outing' invited staff from Marcos camp, too

MANILA, Philippines — The lawyer of Vice President Leni Robredo said the Presidential Electoral Tribunal has invited staff from both their camp and former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s in the contested “outing.”

Earlier on Monday, Marcos urged the tribunal to look into a “swimming outing” of the revisors that a staff of Robredo supposedly attended. This, according to the former senator, might have allowed the vice president’s staff to “infiltrate” and “curry favor” from the tribunal.

But Macalintal, Robredo’s lead counsel, said there is nothing wrong with the swimming party “because all revisors from the Marcos and Robredo camps were invited by the tribunal.”

Revisors are the people in charge of the recount of contested ballots from the pilot provinces in the case. A revisor from each camp and a head revisor from the PET compose each committee for the recount.

Macalintal added: “In fact, we are wondering why they are even asking for an investigation when they send food to the said event."

Marcos, in his manifestation, attached photos of the supposed outing where a certain Osmundo “Ritchie” Abuyuan, one of Robredo’s revisors, joined 24 head revisors from the tribunal, alternate head revisor, appraiser, ballot box custodians and chief tabulator of the PET in an outing last June.

Marcos’ camp stressed that head revisors and their alternates have “control” over the conduct of the judicial recount and ballot revision. They are “also in charge of initially determining whether the ballots found inside the ballots are valid, rejected, or stray.”

“It is imperative for this Honorable Tribunal to immediately investigate this incident and impose the appropriate sanctions on these PET personnel, the protestee and her party revisor,” the manifestation read.

But Macalintal said that this move by the PET’s revisors should even be “lauded” amid the growing tension between the two camps.

The veteran elections lawyer added: “The PET should not be disturbed of its more important functions than be bothered by this trivial incident.”

Last month, Robredo’s camp urged the PET to look into one of Marcos’ revisors bringing in a prohibited item—a plastic magnifying lens—in the revision area. Macalintal also said that the tribunal should order Victor Rodriguez, Marcos’ spokesperson, to identify others who were aware of the incident.

The PET has slapped both camps with a P50,000-peso fine for their alleged transgressions of the sub judice, which prohibits parties from discussing in public an ongoing case.