Case Digest (P.E.T. Case No. 005)
Facts:
- Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos, Jr. filed an election protest against Maria Leonor "Leni Daang Matuwid" G. Robredo regarding the May 9, 2016 vice-presidential election results.
- The protest was submitted on June 29, 2016, after Robredo was proclaimed Vice President on May 30, 2016, with 14,418,817 votes compared to Marcos' 14,155,344 votes, a margin of 263,473 votes.
- Marcos claimed Robredo's proclamation was invalid due to inauthentic Certificates of Canvass (COCs) and alleged massive electoral fraud, including vote-buying and malfunctioning vote counting machines.
- The Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) issued a Precautionary Protection Order on July 12, 2016, to protect ballot boxes and election materials.
- Robredo responded with a Verified Answer, arguing that Marcos did not specify the alleged fraudulent acts and that the protest was a pre-proclamation issue.
- On January 24, 2017, the PET confirmed its jurisdiction and categorized the causes of action into three: annulment of Robredo's proclamation, revision and recount of ballots in selected provinces, and annulment of elections in certain areas.
- The PET conducted a ballot revision in three pilot provinces—Camarines Sur, Iloilo, and Negros Oriental—between April 2, 2018, and February 4, 2019, which showed an increase in Robredo's lead to 278,566 votes.
- Consequently, the PET dismissed Marcos' protest for lack of merit.
Issue:
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Ruling:
- The Presidential Electoral Tribunal dismissed the election protest filed by Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos, Jr. for lack of merit, affirming Maria Leonor "Leni Daang Matuwid" G. Robredo's victory.
- The Tribunal ruled that the failure to show reaso...(Unlock)
Ratio:
- The Tribunal highlighted the extraordinary nature of election protests, which necessitate specific and clear allegations of electoral fraud and irregularities.
- Marcos' protest lacked the required specificity, failing to detail the acts or omissions constituting the alleged fraud in the contested precincts.
- The results from the revision and appreciation of ballots in t...continue reading
Case Digest (P.E.T. Case No. 005)
Facts:
The case involves an election protest filed by Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos, Jr. (protestant) against Maria Leonor "Leni Daang Matuwid" G. Robredo (protestee) concerning the results of the May 9, 2016 vice-presidential election in the Philippines. The protest was filed on June 29, 2016, after Robredo was proclaimed the duly elected Vice President by Congress on May 30, 2016, having received 14,418,817 votes against Marcos' 14,155,344 votes, resulting in a narrow margin of 263,473 votes. Marcos alleged that Robredo's proclamation was null and void due to the inauthenticity of the Certificates of Canvass (COCs) generated by the Consolidation and Canvass System (CCS) and claimed massive electoral fraud, including various irregularities such as vote-buying, intimidation, and malfunctioning vote counting machines. The Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) issued a Precautionary Protection Order on July 12, 2016, to safeguard the integrity of the ballot boxes and election paraphernalia. Robredo filed a Verified Answer, asserting that Marcos failed to specify the acts leading to the alleged fraud and that the protest was a pre-proclamation controversy, which should have been addressed before the National Board of Canvassers. The PET confirmed its jurisdiction over the protest on January 24, 2017, and categorized the causes of action into three: annulment of Robredo's proclamation, revision and recount of ballots in selected provinces, and annulment of elections in certain areas due to alleged irregularities. The PET conducted a revision of ballots in three pilot pr...