(SPOT.ph) Today, September 26, the Presidential Electoral Tribunal upheld the 25% shading threshold that determines the validity of votes for the vice president in the 2016 elections. This decision was made in line with the ongoing debacle over the votes for Vice President Leni Robredo and Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., the results of which have been contested by the latter. Marcos filed a case on June 29, 2016, claiming that Robredo cheated during the elections, with the actual recount beginning in April 2018.
The 25% shading threshold has been a point of contention throughout the case. Robredo had argued that a 25% threshold indicated a valid vote, an argument that was backed by the Commission on Elections.
Marcos, meanwhile, has been pushing for the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) to recognize a 50% threshold. Solicitor General Jose Calida previously said that the PET should junk Vice President Leni Robredo’s appeal to use the 25% shading threshold, saying that there was no basis for using it and that a 50% threshold should be upheld. Calida has been alleged to be a part of an alliance that supported Marcos’ VP bid and has also spoken out in favor of the burial of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
This development is a bit of a bright spot during a week when Senator Trillanes was arrested after Makati Judge Elmo Alameda voided his own 2011 ruling and when the Department of Justice rejected a case filed against blogger Drew Olivar for the bomb scare he posted online. But the week isn’t over yet.