Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo on Friday asked the Supreme Court to reject the motion for reconsideration filed by losing vice presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr.
The tribunal earlier ordered her to comment on the appeal made by the son of the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos, Sr. in his election protest.
In a 49-page pleading, Ms. Robredo said Mr. Marcos had “committed a legal blunder when he chose his pilot provinces” and failed to prove cheating in these areas.
“The allegations are a mere rehash or repetition of the same arguments already settled or decided by the Presidential Electoral Tribunal,” Ms. Robredo said in a statement on Friday.
“The numbers are clear,” she said. “Protestant Marcos failed to show any substantial recovery. The only matter left to be done is for protestant Marcos to accept graciously his defeat and move on.”
Ms. Robredo said differing opinions of the high court’s justices “merely show their respective views on how to rule on the various issues of the case,” but they still unanimously voted to dismiss her rival’s election protest for lack of merit.
“The prospect of defeat is a reality that all political candidates who stand for election must learn to accept,” she said.
Mr. Marcos in May asked the court to reconsider the dismissal of his election protest, saying he had not been given the chance to present all evidence.
The 15-member tribunal in February rejected Mr. Marcos’s election case, as it ruled his claims “appeared bare, laden with generic and repetitious allegations and lacked critical information.” — Bianca Angelica D. Añago
