Former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. Joan Bondoc/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
The camp of former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Thursday welcomed the decision of the Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), junking the motion of Vice President Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo to dismiss the election protest filed by the late dictator’s son and namesake.
“We are hoping that with this resolution, there will be an end to all these delays and we can finally move forward. There is a need to ferret out the truth as to what really transpired during the vice presidential race last May,” said Marcos’ lawyer and spokesman Victor Rodriguez in a statement.
“We just want the truth to come out. It’s that simple.” Rodriguez added.
Robredo had sought to dismiss Marcos’ protest for supposedly insufficient form and substance, adding that the PET had no jurisdiction over the election protest because it improperly questions the authenticity and due execution of the Certificates of Canvass (COC). The Vice President argued that the matter should have been raised in a pre-proclamation case filed before Congress acting as the National Board of Canvassers.
But the PET said they have jurisdiction over Marcos’ protest as mandated by the Constitution. “The Tribunal affirms its jurisdiction over the instant Protest, which is sufficient in form and substance. The protestee’s [Robredo] prayer to dismiss the Protest for lack of jurisdiction and for being insufficient in form and substance is denied,” PET said.
READ: PET refused to junk Marcos’ poll protest vs VP Leni
“Nothing yet has been proved. The protest is only sufficient for the Tribunal to proceed and give the protestant the opportunity to prove his case in accordance with the PET rules,” it added. RAM/rga