MANILA, Philippines — Former senator Bongbong Marcos should just focus on the upcoming 2022 elections and prove himself there instead of casting doubts on the outcome of his electoral protest, Vice President Leni Robredo said on Sunday.
According to Robredo, Marcos should make himself and his platform known, especially after he expressed a desire to again run for office in the 2022 national elections.
“Kaya nga may eleksyon kasi ito iyong pagkakataon na, ‘di ba, na ipapakilala mo iyong sarili mo, sasabihin mo iyong mga plano mo,” the Vice President said over her weekly radio program at DZXL.
(That’s why the elections are there, this is your chance to make yourself and your platform be known.)
Last Tuesday, the Supreme Court (SC), sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), dismissed Marcos’ poll protest against Robredo. But the camp of Marcos, son of the late dictator and former president Ferdinand Marcos, claimed that only a part of his petition was dismissed by the PET.
READ: PET dismisses Marcos poll protest vs Robredo, stresses ‘entire’ case junked
READ: It’s not over yet: Marcos camp says SC only junked one part of poll protest
Robredo also scored Marcos for trying to fulfill his political ambitions by tarnishing the reputation of the SC and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) rather than just willingly accept the outcome of his protest.
“Instead na malugod na tanggapin, nag-a-attempt pa mag-fake news na pinapapaniwala pa iyong tao, na hindi na-dismiss with finality […] Pero iyong sa akin lang, hindi lang ito simpleng pagsisinungaling […] nakita natin kung papaano iyong ambisyon ng isang tao,” Robredo said.
(Instead of willingly accepting the decision, they have attempted to spread fake news, trying to make the people believe that the protest was not dismissed with finality. But for me, this is not plain lying, it is rooted in that person’s ambition.)
“Ambisyon noong isang politiko para lang makuha niya iyong kaniyang inaasam ay sisirain niya talaga iyong mga institusyon. Willing siyang sirain iyong mga institusyon, bahiran ng pagduda ang Comelec, bahiran ng pagduda ang Supreme Court para lang makamtan niya iyong kaniyang kagustuhan na para bang, para sa akin, walang pakialam,” she added.
(That’s the ambition of a politician who wants to get what he wants even if it means destroying institutions. He is willing to destroy institutions, cast doubt on the Comelec and the Supreme Court just to attain his political ambition.)
After the 2016 presidential elections, Marcos claimed that he was the victim of electoral fraud after Robredo won in the vice presidential race by a slim margin of 260,000 votes.
He then filed a poll protest which contained three causes of action, the second of which was a call for a recount on three provinces Marcos himself picked — Camarines Sur, Iloilo, and Negros Oriental.
But the PET announced in October 2019 that after the recount, Robredo’s lead even grew by around 15,000 in the provinces questioned by Marcos.
READ: PET: Robredo maintains, increases lead over Marcos
READ: Marcos asks PET to revisit initial recount result
Marcos’ lawyer Vic Rodriguez said that the third cause of action — a call to nullify votes from certain Mindanao provinces — was still in play. But this was rebuked by Robredo, citing a subsequent clarification from the SC that the whole protest and even her counter-protest was dismissed already.
READ: Bongbong got it wrong: Robredo says PET junked entire poll protest
Robredo said the insistence by the Marcos camp that the poll protest was not dismissed was just to save face for supporters who believe that Marcos really won.
“Klarong-klaro iyong—ipinost nga ng Supreme Court iyong dispositive portion ng desisyon pero pinipilit pa rin. Wala naman itong… walang ibang dahilan kundi linlangin—linlangin iyong tao,” Robredo said.
(It is very clear — the Supreme Court even posted the dispositive portion of the decision but they still insist. There is no other reason but to lie and fool the people.)
“Siguro mag-save face sa supporters kasi pinapaniwala niya,” she added.
(Maybe it’s meant to save face in front of supporters, because they believe they won.)
This is not the first time Robredo and her lawyers lashed out at the Marcos camp for insisting that the protest is not yet finished. Last Friday, lawyer Emil Marañon said that it appears the Marcoses are not only bent on revising the country’s history but also revising existing PET rules.
READ: Robredo lawyer accuses Marcos of wanting to revise PET rules