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Macalintal: Bongbong Marcos' allegations are 'fake news'

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Davinci Maru, ABS-CBN News

<figure class="op-interactive"><div id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1_Container"> <ivs-player id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-vid="1436694" data-ivs-floating="1"></ivs-player> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/iframe-parent.js"></script> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script> </div></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="~//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="~//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>The lawyer of Vice President Leni Robredo has dismissed as &quot;fake news&quot; the insinuations of former senator Ferdinand &quot;Bongbong&quot; Marcos Jr. over alleged irregularities in the 2016 elections.</p><p>&quot;&#x27;Yung sinasabi ni Mr. Marcos na parang anomaly, fake news &#x27;yun. Hindi totoo &#x27;yun,&quot; lawyer Romulo Macalintal said in a press conference to answer allegations raised by Marcos.</p><p>The Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, started on Monday the manual recount of votes for the election protest of Marcos against Robredo.</p><p>Marcos first raised the issue of wet ballots found in four out of 42 voting precincts in Bato, Camarines Sur.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/02/18/marcos-some-ballots-wet-audit-logs-missing-in-robredo-stronghold">READ: Marcos: Some ballots wet, audit logs missing in Robredo stronghold</a></li></ul><p>On Robredo&#x27;s defense, Macalintal said the ballots got wet after the town was hit by a typhoon.</p><p>&quot;In almost 80 percent of elections, we always experienced that circumstance. Nabasa ang balota. Marami ang madumi na. Depends on the areas where these are deposited.&quot;</p><p>Still, he said this is not a cause for concern.</p><p>&quot;At &#x27;yan ang kabutihan ng automated election kasi may ballot images. &#x27;Pag nagkaroon ng discrepancies or nawawala ang mga balota, &#x27;yung mga ballot images ang naging basis ng bilangan ng balota,&quot; Macalintal added.</p><p>Marcos also alleged that 38 precincts in Bato had missing audit logs, implying a possible election anomaly.</p><p>But this was again disproved by Macalintal, citing that these documents could be requested from the Supreme Court or the Commission on Elections.</p><p>He said, &quot;It&#x27;s not a problem. Hindi naman porke&#x27;t wala &#x27;yung audit logs eh may anomaly? The best evidence in a recount or revision are the ballots. And even the lawyer of Mr. Marcos said the best evidence are the ballots.&quot;</p><p>The disappearance of audit logs, he said, are just technical defects, &quot;which will never affect the genuineness or accuracy of the count.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Kahit andiyan lahat tambak ang audit logs, hindi magiging basis &#x27;yun ng count. Kasi kahit bilangin mo &#x27;yung audit logs, you can&#x27;t determine the number of votes obtained by candidates. You still had to go back to the ballots,&quot; the lawyer added.</p><p>Asked about some damaged ballot boxes that could possibly been tampered with, Macalintal had this to say: &quot;Eh paano hindi mabubutas &#x27;yun eh itinatapon lang naman &#x27;yan sa truck. Pagkakuha ng ballot box, inihahagis &#x27;yan.&quot;</p><div><strong>SLIGHT DIFFERENCE</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><div id="IVS_ABS_Video_Widget_2_Container"><ivs-player id="IVS_ABS_Video_Widget_2" allow="autoplay" data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-wid="f5fb7bd1-3880"></ivs-player><script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script></div></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="~//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="~//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>When all ballots are tallied in the manual recount of the vice presidential race, he said there could be a slight difference of the total number of votes polled by both candidates.</p><p>But the lawyer of the vice president maintained his client won a hairline victory against the latter&#x27;s closest rival in the 2016 elections.</p><p>&quot;Magbabago ng konti ang resulta, hindi dahil sa mali ang PCOS, kundi mali ang pagkakagawa ng botante sa kaniyang balota,&quot; he said in a DZMM interview.</p><p>Unaccounted votes caused by human error, such as those with check marks instead of shading the oval in the ballot, will now be considered valid under the Intent Rule Doctrine.</p><p>Despite of this, Macalintal said the results would remain the same.</p><p>&quot;In all election protest from 2010 up to the present, automated elections, laging nagta-tally ang bilang ng physical count doon sa election returns. That&#x27;s precisely the reason wala pang nanalong election protest on the basis of ballot recount.&quot;</p><p>The vote recount the losing vice-presidential bet sought covers the pilot areas of his protest: the provinces of Camarines Sur, Negros Oriental, and Iloilo.</p><p>Robredo edged out Marcos by 263,473 votes in the neck-and-neck race for the vice presidency.</p><p>Though both parties have signified to withdraw all motions to avoid delays in the recount, Macalintal said it could take almost a year.</p><p>&quot;Eh &#x27;yan ay bulto-bultong ebidensiya. Magkakaroon ng presentation of evidence. Pagkatapos ay maraming discussion ang mangyayari,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>The lawyer of Vice President Leni Robredo has dismissed as "fake news" the insinuations of former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. over alleged irregularities in the 2016 elections.</p>

The lawyer of Vice President Leni Robredo has dismissed as "fake news" the insinuations of former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. over alleged irregularities in the 2016 elections.

Macalintal: Bongbong Marcos' allegations are 'fake news'

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Macalintal: Bongbong Marcos' allegations are 'fake news'

Davinci Maru,

ABS-CBN News

Published April 03, 2018 06:21 AM PHT

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Updated April 03, 2018 07:34 AM PHT

Read More:

Leni Robredo

Bongbong Marcos

Romulo Macalintal

elections

recount

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