PDP-Laban calls for manual recount of 2025 Senate race votes

MANILA, Philippines — The Partido Demokratiko Pilipino Lakas ng Bayan (PDP Laban) is officially asking for a manual recount of votes for senator in the recently-concluded 2025 midterm elections. 

Lawyer Israelito Torreon filed before the Supreme Court PDP-Laban’s motion for leave to file a supplemental petition for mandamus to call for the manual recount.

Alfonso Cusi, PDP-Laban national vice chairman, represented the party in its petition.

In the six-page petition dated June 19, Cusi said the petition was filed “so that the truth may be known, accountability may be identified and exacted, and public confidence in the electoral process may be restored.” 

Commission on Elections Chairman George Erwin Garcia welcomed the high court petition.

“Comelec welcomes such remedies to prove the real mandate of the electorate,” Garcia told reporters on Monday.

“We will just wait for the SC action on this matter.”

Torreon, who is the lawyer of Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) founder Apollo Quiboloy’s, first floated the call for a manual recount last month.

Quiboloy, who lost the senatorial elections, is part of the PDP-Laban slate of ten candidates backed by former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Of the 10 candidates, only Senate reelectionists Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa and Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, along with former House lawmaker Rodante Marcoleta managed to enter the winners’ circle. /gsg