PDP-Laban has formally requested a manual recount of votes cast in the 2025 midterm senatorial elections, filing a motion with the Supreme Court on Monday.
Attorney Israelito Torreon, representing the party, submitted a “Motion For Leave To File Supplemental Petition for Mandamus,” emphasizing the need to uphold election laws to restore transparency and public trust in the electoral process.
“The core issue here is ensuring that the legal procedures are followed so that truth and accountability prevail, and voter confidence is reinstated,” PDP-Laban stated in its petition.
Torreon was joined by singer and lawyer Jimmy Bondoc, who ran under PDP-Laban but did not win a Senate seat this year.
Vice President Sara Duterte earlier voiced concerns about alleged election fraud, asserting that three more PDP-Laban candidates should have been declared winners. She cited conversations with IT experts during an Independence Day event in Malaysia, claiming the official vote results were questionable.
Duterte encouraged PDP-Laban to investigate the vote counting process.
In the official tally, only reelectionists Bong Go and Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa secured Senate seats under PDP-Laban. Rodante Marcoleta, who also won, received the party’s endorsement.
Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia welcomed the legal challenge and said the Comelec would wait for the Supreme Court’s ruling.
“This is a legitimate recourse to validate the will of the electorate. We will abide by the Court’s decision,” Garcia stated.