The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday, 23 June, said it welcomes the call of PDP-Laban for a manual recount of senatorial votes from the recently concluded midterm elections.

In a message to reporters, Comelec Chairperson George Garcia said they are open to this kind of remedy to affirm the true mandate of the electorate.

"We will just wait for the [Supreme Court] action on this matter," Garcia added.

Atty. Israelito Torreon filed a Motion for Leave to File Supplemental Petition for Mandamus, urging the Supreme Court to allow a full audit of the vote count.

Torreon, joined by singer-lawyer Jimmy Bondoc, cited alleged irregularities during the polls. Bondoc ran for senator in the 2025 midterm elections but failed to secure a seat.

Torreon, who also serves as legal counsel for detained televangelist Apollo Quiboloy, first floated the call for a manual recount last month.

Quiboloy also lost in the senatorial race. He was part of the PDP-Laban slate of 10 candidates backed by former President Rodrigo Duterte.

The petition was filed by the party through its national vice chairperson, Alfonso Cusi.

In a six-page petition dated 19 June, Cusi said the appeal was filed “so that the truth may be known, accountability may be identified and exacted, and public confidence in the electoral process may be restored.”

Among the cited irregularities were the discovery of transmission equipment, such as Starlink devices and solar panels, in a private residence in Barangay Buhangin, Davao City — raising concerns of “potential conflict of interest.”

PDP-Laban also alleged widespread mismatches between actual ballots and voter receipts, along with more than 17 million senatorial votes excluded from the official tally due to being marked as “overvotes.”