The camp of Vice President Leni Robredo also says former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr should be the first to pay the recount fee

MANILA, Philippines – Veteran election lawyer Romulo Macalintal said Monday, April 17, that former senator Ferdinand Marcos should pay P185 million, not just P66 million, in order for his election protest against Vice President Leni Robredo to proceed. The manifestation was submitted before the SC, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), after it ordered Marcos and Robredo to pay P66 million and P15 million, respectively, as fee for the recount of the ballots being contested. Marcos has until July 14 to pay another 30 million pesos to complete recounting votes in more than 39,000 polling precincts nationwide. The PET has ordered Marcos to pay P66 million for the precincts covered by his protest while Robredo was ordered to pay P15 million for her counter protest. Sana ang ating magigiting na justices ay simulant na ang process sa paghusga kung sino ba talaga ang nanalo sa nakaraang halalan,” he added. In an ambush interview with reporters, Marcos said he was hoping that his compliance to the high court’s order would “go a long way to get the process started.”

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“Galing ako sa Office of the Clerk of Court at ako ay nag-comply sa order na bayaran ang first tranche para sa protest ko. “Since President-Mayor Joseph Estrada declared Wednesday (April 12) as a non-working holiday for all government employees in Manila, the offices of the Supreme Court were closed on Wednesday (April 12), Holy

 Thursday (April 13) & Good Friday (April 14). In his protest, the late dictator’s son and namesake urged the court to order the immediate collection, retrieval, transport, and delivery of all ballot boxes in 39,221 clustered precincts or equivalent to 132,446 established precincts. The Vice President's lawyers also said Marcos should pay P185 million instead of P66 million because his first pleading before the PET sought the protection of election paraphernalia in all 92,509 clustered precincts (369,138 established precincts) used during the May 2016 elections.
Bongbong Marcos pays ₱36 million, half of the required amount to hold a recount against Philippine vice president Leni Robredo.