Presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. speaks during the Agri 2022 Online Forum. (File photo from his Facebook account)
MANILA, Philippines — The camp of Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) standard-bearer Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr. refuted the speculations regarding his failure to attend the Comelec hearing on the petitions filed against him last Friday.
On Sunday, his camp issued an official statement narrating the events that led to a “judgment call” that forced him to cancel his participation in the event via Zoom.
Mere minutes after the hearing concluded, various social media platforms were abuzz about Marcos Jr.’s non-appearance in the hearing.
The camp of Marcos claimed that there was a lack of empathy and misinformation being spread intentionally for a person with comorbidities at risk of COVID-19 infection, which they felt was unsettling.
Marcos was exposed to several members of his staff who turned out to be positive for COVID-19 before the hearing. This, unfortunately, included his chief of staff and spokesperson, lawyer Vic Rodriguez, and a member of his close-in security detail.
“On the morning of January 6, 2022, BBM [Bongbong Marcos] proceeded with his scheduled morning interview despite feeling unwell,” Rodriguez said.
“After the interview, his physician arrived and determined that he had a fever and throat swelling. BBM was instructed to take a midday rest. Mid-afternoon, however, he went on with another radio interview. We believe it was that afternoon interview which exacerbated his condition,” he went on.
“On the morning of January 7, BBM was obliged to go in isolation because his condition worsened. It was at that time that the Comelec wanted him to appear even through a video conference,” Rodriguez added. “A judgment call was made to let BBM continue with his needed rest since he was in bed after taking his medicines.”
The headquarters of the BBM-Sara UniTeam extended its lockdown for one more week after more than 30 of its staff tested positive for Covid19 following a massive RT-PCR Test conducted last week.