The camp of Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo on Sunday expressed alarm over alleged plans to recount ballots from the May elections without permission from the Presidential Election Tribunal (PET) supposedly to “steal the vice presidency.”

“Over the weekend, supporters of Vice President Leni Robredo expressed concern about alleged plans of recounting ballots without the direction of the Presidential Election Tribunal. The objective is to steal the vice presidency from VP Leni,” Robredo’s spokesperson Georgina Hernandez said in a statement.

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“This fear and grave concern are exacerbated by the way the Marcoses sneaked the burial of the dictator from the Filipino public. To get what they desperately want, they have resorted to impunity and complete disregard for the rule of law,” she added, alluding to the clandestine burial of the deposed strongman that sparked protests throughout the country.

This is amid an electoral protest filed by the late dictator’s son and namesake, former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., who is asking the PET to reopen ballot boxes in various clustered precincts; annul the election results in Lanao Del Sur, Basilan and Maguindanao; and a recount of 22 provinces and five cities.

Robredo’s camp said a text message from a “trusted source” regarding the electoral protest is circulating, which reads: “Recount of ballots from 4-5 provinces will start end of November and will finish by December, deliberations after. You can bet early next year, we have a new VP.”

Hernandez urged Filipinos to be more vigilant against “any extralegal movements during this dark time in our history.”

“We thank those who remain committed to a free and just society. We continue to have faith in our judicial system and we believe that any decision will be based on truth,” she added.

The Manila city prosecutor’s office recently junked a complaint against the officials of Commission on Elections (Comelec) and Smartmatic-Total Information Management (TIM) Corp. filed by the Marcos camp due to insufficient evidence, but Marcos’ campaign adviser said they will elevate it to the Department of Justice. RAM/rga

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