Comelec welcomes PDP manual recount call

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday said it welcomes the move of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP) seeking a manual recount of senatorial votes from the recently concluded midterm elections.

In a message to reporters, Comelec chairperson George Garcia said the poll body supports such efforts to verify the true will of the electorate.

“We welcome this kind of remedy to prove the real mandate of the electorate,” Garcia said. “We will just wait for the Supreme Court action on this matter.”

PDP, through its legal counsel Atty. Israelito Torreon, filed a Motion for Leave to File Supplemental Petition for Mandamus before the Supreme Court, asking for a full audit of the senatorial vote count.

Torreon was joined by singer-lawyer Jimmy Bondoc, a 2025 senatorial candidate who failed to secure a seat.

The six-page petition, dated 19 June, was filed by PDP’s national vice chairperson Alfonso Cusi. It cites new information that emerged after the party’s initial filing, along with multiple alleged poll irregularities.

Among the claims are widespread discrepancies between physical ballots and voter receipts, and over 17 million votes excluded from the final tally due to being marked as “overvotes.”

“What is essential is that the mandated process under our prevailing election laws be carried out, so that the truth may be known, accountability may be identified and exacted, and public confidence in the electoral process may be restored,” the petition stated.

The party also flagged the discovery of transmission equipment — reportedly including Starlink devices and solar panels — at a private residence in Barangay Buhangin, Davao City, suggesting a potential conflict of interest in the conduct of the polls.

Torreon, who also serves as legal counsel for detained televangelist and PDP senatorial candidate Apollo Quiboloy, had floated the possibility of a manual recount as early as last month.

Quiboloy also lost in the May elections, where the PDP slate included 10 candidates backed by former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Earlier, Vice President Sara Duterte alleged fraud in the elections, saying three more PDP Laban candidates should have won Senate seats.

Speaking at an Independence Day celebration with Filipinos in Kuala Lumpur, she cited conversations with IT experts that convinced her the official vote counts were likely inaccurate.

Duterte urged PDP to closely examine the election process, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability.