Marcos completes P66-million payment for electoral protest
FORMER senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. has completed the multi-million payment for his electoral protest against Vice-President Maria Leonor G. Robredo.
Mr. Marcos’s lawyer, Victor Rodriguez, confirmed that the payment was made last Monday, July 10, four days before the deadline set by the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) which is on July 14.
According to the receipt shown by Mr. Rodriguez, Mr. Marcos paid P30,000,200.00 before the Supreme Court (SC) sitting as the PET, completing the required payment of P66,223,000.
The P66 million covers the cost of the retrieval of the ballot boxes and other election paraphernalia in 39,221 clustered precincts contested by Mr. Marcos.
He made the first payment of P36 million on April 17. Mr. Marcos said his supporters pooled money to reach the required amount.
Ms. Robredo, who filed a counter-electoral protest, was directed by PET to pay P15,439,000. She has yet to pay the electoral bond in full.
Ms. Robredo paid the first tranche amounting to P8 million last May 2. She said the amount was loaned from relatives.
On Tuesday, the PET began the preliminary conference to discuss the evidence by both camps, which separately held their press briefings afterwards.
Ma. Bernadette Sardillo, co-counsel for Ms. Robredo, said the tribunal clarified with the camp of Mr. Marcos their position on the Automated Election Server (AES).
Ms. Sardillo recalled Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen asking Mr. Marcos’s camp if they are ready to accept the result of their questioning the AES. “Kasi sinasabi na hindi mo pwede i-surgically remove ang resulta ng VP election sa ibang posisyon (Because they say that you can’t surgically remove just the results of the vice presidential election from other positions),” Ms. Sardillo said.
She also said that the Robredo camp sought an extension for the payment of the second tranche of payment, due on Friday, and was thereafter advised to file a motion before the court.
On the appeal for a recount, Ms. Sardillo said nothing yet has been set with the tribunal, since Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin S. Caguioa pointed out that the SC will have difficulty with the recount.
Ms. Sardillo also said the tribunal had asked that witnesses be limited to three per contested precinct. Mr. Marcos has 362 witnesses, and Ms. Robredo has more than 600 witnesses.
Mr. Marcos, leading his media briefing, said he is happy to see the Court tackling his protest.
“Ang maliwanag, ang mga justices ng Tribunal, they are very interested in proceeding to their arguments and finally to the revision of the counting of the votes kaya nagpapasalamat kami sa mga justice na para sa kanila, interesado din sila na mapabilis ang proseso, nang makita ng ating mga kababayan ang naging bilang sa boto,” Mr. Marcos said.
(What’s clear is that the justices of the Tribunal, they are very interested in proceeding to their arguments and finally to the revision of the counting of the votes, so we are very thankful to the justices because they are also interested in fast-tracking the process so that our countrymen can see the counting of their votes.)
George Erwin Garcia, counsel of Mr. Marcos, said they are grateful for the Tribunal’s resolve to continue “despite efforts of the other party (Ms. Robredo’s camp) to delay.”
The case stemmed from an electoral protest filed by Mr. Marcos after losing in the vice-presidential race by a slim margin of about 260,000 votes to Ms. Robredo, within election day when he was leading by almost a million votes early in the election count. — Kristine Joy V. Patag