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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Quiboloy camp's request for manual recount shrugged off

Quiboloy camp's request for manual recount shrugged off

Published May 15, 2025 03:55 pm

At A Glance

  • The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has flatly rejected the request of senatorial candidate pastor Apollo Quiboloy to conduct a poll recount after he placed a dismal 31st place in the Senate race.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has flatly rejected the request of senatorial candidate pastor Apollo Quiboloy to conduct a poll recount after he placed a dismal 31st place in the Senate race.

The camp of Quiboloy, who is currently detained
for sex trafficking charges and wasn't able to show up during the campaign period, has sought a manual recount of votes amid supposed irregularities in the conduct of polls.
The catch is, Quiboloy--the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) church founder and self-proclaimed "Appointed Son of God"--has not filed an election protest.
Lawyer Israelito Torreon, Quiboloy's legal counsel, argued that Comelec has the power to act motu proprio, or on its own, regarding the request for a recount without the need for an official election protest.
However, Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia responded by saying that the implementation of a fully automated election as well as the random manual audit (RMA), which are both under the law, are enough to ensure the integrity of the election results.
He also dismissed the idea of arbitrarily conducting a manual audit because doing so would incur cost.
"So kung magkakaroon po ng ganoong klaseng feature ang ating automated election [to conduct manual recount], dapat po magbago ang batas. Dapat mag-prescibe ng proseso paano natin gagawin yun (So if there should really be need for a manual recount, the law must prescribe how should be done)," Garcia said in a press conference.
He says filing an election protest is needed so that a manual recount would be legally demanded.
"Magkakaroon po ng manual recount basta may election protest (There will be a manual recount for as long as there is an election protest)," he said.
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