MANILA, Philippines — The win of Vice President Leni Robredo on the election protest filed against her by former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. also serves as a “vindication” against alleged poll irregularities in the now-defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman said Wednesday.
“Congratulations are in order for Vice President Leni Robredo in her recent victory against a malicious and baseless poll protest in the Supreme Court acting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal or PET,” Hataman said in a statement.
“We also celebrate this ‘people’s triumph’ for this is also a vindication against allegations of poll irregularities that they claimed occurred in the now-defunct ARMM areas,” he added.
Hataman said that Marcos’ poll protest was “a large cloud of doubt that hung over the last elections’ results.”
“At hindi po nakatulong na natatagalan ang pagdinig sa kasong ito. Masakit din po na matagal na nabinbin ang isyung ito, pero natutuwa na din po tayo at sa wakas ay lumabas na ang tunay na halal ng bayan,” he added.
(And the time that had passed did not help, as we were deeply hurt that this case took so long. Still, we are happy that the results have been released and the real winner was declared.)
Four years after it was filed, it was only on Tuesday when the Supreme Court, sitting in as the PET, junked Marcos’ protest against Robredo over the results of the 2016 vice presidential elections.
READ: PET dismisses Marcos poll protest vs Robredo, stresses ‘entire’ case junked
During the election protest, Marcos asked the PET to annul the election results in three provinces once part of the ARMM, namely Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao and Basilan, due to alleged election violence, regardless of the recount results.
Hataman added that the dismissal of the election protest is not only a win for Robredo but for “democracy and justice as well.”
“Isa rin po itong tagumpay ng taumbayan na lumabas, bumoto at iniluklok noong 2016 ang Pangalawang Pangulo na pilit isinasantabi ng ilan para sa kanilang pansariling interes,” he said.
(This is also a win for those who went out to vote and chose their Vice President, who is being dismissed by others for their personal gains.)
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