MANILA - The lawyers of Vice President Leni Robredo and former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. welcomed Monday an order of the Supreme Court for a recount of votes over the latter's poll protest.

Marcos, 60, lost the vice presidential election last year by 263,473 votes. He filed a case with the SC alleging that Robredo cheated by manipulating computerized vote counting machines.

"Natutuwa kami. Although na-delay nang konti, tuloy-tuloy na ito. Sana matapos na pagbibilang ng mga balota," said Marcos lawyer George Garcia.

Robredo's counsel Romulo Macalintal meanwhile said the recount will dispel accusations that they have sought to delay the election proceedings.

"Kami'y natutuwa sapagkat magsisimula na ito dahil napakaraming sinasabi ng kabilang panig na kami daw nagde-delay. Kahit
kailan hindi kami nagde-delay," he said.

• Marcos lawyer says Robredo camp delaying electoral protest

Garcia and Macalintal went to the high court for a meeting about the regulations on the recount and a tour of its venue.

They were also set to meet with Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa, who is in charge of Marcos' protest and Robredo's counter-protest.

• RELATED STORY: Bongbong Marcos confident he will soon be vice-president

Victory for Marcos would cement his family's remarkable political comeback, 31 years after a famous "People Power" revolution saw millions of people take to the streets to end his father's 20-year rule and force the family into US exile.

Ferdinand Marcos Sr. died in Hawaii in 1989, with the government accusing him and his cronies of embezzling up to $10 billion from state coffers while overseeing widespread rights abuses.

With Reuters and Ina Reformina, ABS-CBN News