Robredo: We’re not asking Marcos to concede

Bea Cupin

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Robredo: We’re not asking Marcos to concede

Photo by Martin San Diego/Rapple

The camp of vice presidential candidate Leni Robredo earlier declared that a win by Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr is mathematically unlikely at this point

MANILA, Philippines – Despite announcing at least twice the mathematical improbability of her chief rival’s victory, Liberal Party (LP) vice presidential bet Leni Robredo on Tuesday, May 17, insisted her camp is not calling on Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr to concede in a tight vice presidential contest.

Noong nag-make kami ng announcement on Sunday, iyong announcement na iyon hindi namin kine-claim na kami na iyong panalo pero ina-appease lang namin ang pakiramdam ng mga supporters na ganito ang numero, ganito pa ang hindi pumapasok at sa hindi pumapasok, hindi na kayang habulin,” the Camarines Sur 3rd District representative told reporters during a chance interview in her hometown of Naga City.

(When we made that announcement on Sunday, that announcement wasn’t to claim victory but to appease supporters – these are the numbers, these are the votes that have come in and that haven’t come in, so [Marcos] won’t be able to catch up.)

Robredo currently leads Marcos by over 200,000 votes, with 96.14% precincts having transmitted to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) transparency server as of 7:54 pm on Tuesday.

Earlier on Sunday, Marcos said he had “won” during a chance interview with CNN Philippines. A few hours later, Robredo, during a quick program following a thanksgiving mass at the Ateneo de Manila University, said her win was “irreversible” given the numbers.

Sinabi ko naman iyon sa aking pahayag na ang Kongreso lamang ang maaaring mag proclaim sa amin. Talaga namang kami ni Senator Marcos ay hindi puwedeng mag-proclaim ng sarili namin,” added Robredo.

(I’ve said it before – only Congress can proclaim a winner. Of course, Senator Marcos and I can’t proclaim ourselves winners.)

Marcos’ lawyer, former Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr, had called out Robredo for being “presumptuous” and for “[wanting] Marcos to concede based on alleged small unofficial lead.” Brillantes will represent the senator during the canvassing of votes.

Iyong pag-pa-concede kay Senator Marcos, walang ganoon. Hindi iyon nanggaling sa kampo namin,” said Robredo, addressing Brillantes’ concerns.

(If you talk about asking Senator Marcos to concede, we never said that. That did not come from our camp.)

Robredo and Marcos are locked in a tight race for the vice presidency, a contest expected to be decided by a margin of less than a million votes. Although Marcos initially led the partial, unofficial count after polls closed on May 9, Robredo caught up and overtook him in the wee hours of May 10 as her bailiwicks began transmitting their results.

Marcos has accused the Robredo camp of cheating. (READ: Election data quash Marcos’ cheating pattern claim)

The third placer in the race, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, running mate of president-elect Rodrigo Duterte, conceded to Robredo on May 12.

Senator Francis Escudero, who placed 4th, also conceded the day after the elections. Escudero did not say who he was conceding to, but said he is hoping his fellow candidate from Bicol would win. – Rappler.com

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Bea Cupin

Bea is a senior multimedia reporter who covers national politics. She's been a journalist since 2011 and has written about Congress, the national police, and the Liberal Party for Rappler.