PDP-Laban asks SC for manual recount of 2025 senatorial votes

The PDP-Laban party has filed a petition with the Supreme Court requesting a manual recount of senatorial votes from the 2025 elections, citing alleged irregularities.

The party's legal counsel, Atty. Israelito Torreon, submitted a Motion for Leave to File Supplemental Petition for Mandamus, urging the high court to allow a full audit of the vote count.

Torreon, joined by singer-lawyer Jimmy Bondoc and detained televangelist Apollo Quiboloy, both of whom failed to secure senatorial seats, cited alleged discrepancies between ballots and voter receipts.

PDP-Laban claimed that over 17 million senatorial votes were excluded from the tally as "overvotes".

The petition was filed by the party through its national vice chairperson, Alfonso Cusi, stating the appeal is "so that the truth may be known, accountability may be identified and exacted, and public confidence in the electoral process may be restored."

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday, June 23, welcomed PDP-Laban's call for a manual recount, with Comelec Chairperson George Garcia stating they are open to the remedy to affirm the electorate's true mandate.

Garcia added that the Comelec will await the Supreme Court's action on the matter.