MALACANANG said Wednesday, September 26, that it respects the decision of the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) to uphold the 25-percent ballot shading threshold in the vote recount prompted by former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. against Vice President Leni Robredo's May 2016 victory.
In a television interview, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. refused to further comment on the PET ruling, stressing that President Rodrigo Duterte is not involved in the rift between Marcos and Robredo.
"None, because the President is not a party to the electoral protest and that is the decision of the PET so be it," Roque said, when sought for reaction on the PET's decision.
"Of course, [we respect the ruling]. We will implement the decision of the PET. That is why we let the PET do its job," he added.
Robredo, who was earlier branded by Duterte as "incompetent" leader, is facing an electoral protest lodged by Marcos before the PET.
Marcos, who was defeated by Robredo at the vice presidential race by a slim margin of 263,473 votes, accused the Vice President of rigging the results of the May 9, 2016 elections to secure the second highest position in the land.
Marcos pushed for a 50-percent shading threshold, as he claimed that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) failed to declare the change in shading threshold rules.
The PET, in a resolution dated September 18, sided with Robredo's plea to use the Comelec's ballot shading threshold of 25 percent in determining the validity of votes in the ongoing electoral recount concerning the 2016 vice presidential race.
The Supreme Court, sitting as the PET, stressed in its resolution that the 50-percent shading threshold was "no longer applied" in the 2016 polls. (SunStar Philippines)