Bongbong Marcos scores in new PET order vs Comelec

Former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/NINO JESUS ORBETA

The Supreme Court sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) has ruled that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) should pay for the storage fees of election materials related to the protest of former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. against Vice President Leni Robredo.

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said the poll body had no plans yet to file an appeal regarding the PET’s Oct. 10 decision.

“The Comelec accepts the ruling of the PET in the spirit of facilitating the resolution of this case,” Jimenez said.

The poll body earlier told the PET that Marcos should shoulder the storage fees for ballot boxes and other election materials kept abroad because those could not be shipped back to the country following the Precautionary Protective Order (PPO) issued by the PET.

The Comelec claimed that since the PPO instructed them to preserve and safeguard the integrity of the ballots and other election materials, they could not bring them back to the Comelec office in Manila and they had to be stocked in the foreign posts which resulted in additional costs.

But the PET rejected the Comelec’s argument, saying the PPO did not prohibit them from transferring the ballots and other materials to Manila.

“The Comelec was merely required to preserve and safeguard their integrity. Thus, the Comelec’s proffered reason that its faithful compliance to the PPO has no basis,” the PET resolution stated.