Albay 1st district Rep. Edcel Lagman (left), former Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto (Facebook)

Don't look now, but there's a vote-counting controversy in the just-approved House Bill (HB)  No. 9349, or the Act reinstituting absolute divorce as an alternative mode for the dissolution of marriage. 

Former Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III claimed that the pro-divorce bill shouldn't have been passed on third and final reading Wednesday night, May 22 based on the nominal voting result. 

Sotto did so much to the chagrin of HB No.9349's main sponsor, Albay 1st district Rep. Edcel Lagman, who reveled as the measure garnered 126 "yes" votes against 109 "no" votes--a clear-cut passage on third reading. 

But Sotto says this isn't the case, as the 20 House members who abstained from the voting needs to be taken into account. This makes for a plenary total of 255, and the majority of such figure is 128. 

"Hindi yata marunong magbilang si former Senate President Sotto. Ang binibilang dito po ‘yong majority, eh panalo ‘yong yes vote over the no vote. Eh ‘di binibilang naman ‘yong abstention kasi walang boto ‘yon ah," Lagman said. 

(Fprmer Senate President Sotto doesn't seem to know how to count. What matters here is the majority, and the yes vote won over the no vote. The attentions aren't counted because that represents any vote.) 

"Alam mo, akala mo hindi naman siya naging Senate President," the Liberal Party (LP) further cited Sotto. 

(You know, it's as if he was never a Senate President.) 

According to the Bicolano, the question is as simple as, "Which is higher, the yes votes or no votes?" 

"Kung sa PBA or NBA, lampaso ‘yong kalaban, hindi ba? Malaki, 17 ang lamang," Lagman said, referring to the 126-109 vote advantage of his pet bill. 

(Had this been the Philippine Basketball Association or National Basketball Association, the opponents would have been bamboozled, right? It's a big margin, 17 votes.) 

Lagman further said that he believes the absolute divorce bill "will become a law before former Senate President Sotto goes back to the Senate".