Robredo desperate to delay VP polls recount —Bongbong camp

The camp of former Senator Bongbong Marcos on Sunday blasted Vice President Leni Robredo for complaining about the use of a magnifying lens during the recount of ballots, saying it was a desperate move.

"The blatant attempts of Mrs. Robredo to suppress the truth regarding the manual recount of votes have become more desperate. Just recently, she complained that Nestor Borromeo, one of Marcos’ revisors, was out of line because he was using a small magnifying glass to count the ballots," Atty. Vic Rodriguez, Marcos' spokesperson, said in a statement sent to reporters.

"What she conveniently left out was the fact that the magnifying glass—which is the size of a credit card—was made of plastic and is similar to the ones children play with," he added.

"The people on the revision floor were well aware that the plastic child's magnifier was being used and never complained. Why should they? Some revisors wear eyeglasses so they can see better," Rodriguez said.

"Nestor Borromeo opted to use a child’s plastic magnifying glass.  What difference will this make on the recounting of votes?" he continued.

On Wednesday, the camp of Robredo accused the camp of Marcos of violating Supreme Court (SC) rules in the ongoing recount of vice presidential votes when one of their revisors allegedly used a plastic magnifying lens during the recount proceeding.

In a manifestation of grave concern filed Wednesday but sent to reporters on Friday, Robredo's lawyers called out Marcos revisor Nestor Borromeo for allegedly bringing and using a plastic magnifying lens, a supposedly prohibited item, during the recount proceeding on June 14.

The filing said the SC, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), had previously informed both parties that only papers can be brought inside the venue for the revision, the official term for the recount.

Rodriguez said they are expecting "more desperate disruptions" from the Robredo camp.

"Now that the proof of fraud and massive cheating is out in the open, we expect more desperate disruptions to come our way. After all, Robredo admitted in a recent TV interview that even though she was out of the loop with the current administration, her way of remaining relevant is “to try to disrupt in the manner in which [her] office has positioned itself,” he said.

Marcos' spokesperson said they will not allow any more disruptions.

"We will not allow the election protest to be ‘disrupted ' by her desperate, childish and obvious attempts to delay, delay and delay the recount. Instead, we will continue our commitment to the Filipino people to fight until each and every valid vote that was cast will be counted," Rodriguez added.

Marcos is challenging Robredo's victory in the 2016 polls through an election protest, a part of which is a manual vote recount in three pilot provinces—Camarines Sur, Negros Oriental, and Iloilo—that kicked off last April. —KG, GMA News