(UPDATE) The Supreme Court has spoken: Leni Robredo is the duly-elected vice president of the Philippines.
The high court sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal voted in favor of Robredo and unanimously dismissed the electoral protest filed by losing 2016 vice presidential candidate former Sen. Bongbong Marcos for lack of merit.
"The tribunal unanimously dismissed the electoral protest filed by former senator Bonbong Marcos against Vice President Leni Robredo," Supreme Court spokesperson Brian Keith Hosaka said in a press briefing.
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A copy of the resolution on the case was not immediately available, Hosaka said.
"This is the first time we're announcing this and the parties will be provided copies of the resolution," he added.
Marcos, son of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos, contested Robredo's 2016 win by the slimmest of margins, claiming he was cheated. Robredo denied this.
Marcos' spokesperson, lawyer Vic Rodriguez acknowledged the decision of the high court but made a false claim that no decision on their plea for the annulment of votes in Mindanao has been made yet.
"Based on the official pronouncement made by the Presidential Electoral Tribunal today, the court unanimously voted to dismiss our second cause of action which is the manual recount and judicial revision," Rodriguez said in a statement.
"However, as to the issue on how to proceed with our third cause of action, which is the annulment of votes in Mindanao, the Tribunal has yet to decide on the matter," he added.
The Supreme Court however said it has dismissed the entire electoral protest, including Marcos' causes of action and Robredo's counter-protest.
Robredo's spokesperson, lawyer Barry Gutierrez thanked those who supported the vice president in a tweet using the hashtag #LeniRealVP.
"After a tense morning (or was it four and a half years?), I can breathe a bit easier. Thank you everyone for your courage, faith, and unflagging support for our -- THE -- Vice President. #LeniRealVP," he said.
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