Marcos’ eligibility to run for office in 2010 still ‘valid’ now – spokesperson

Atty. Victor Rodriguez, chief of staff and spokesperson of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. Screengrab from PTV

MANILA, Philippines — The camp of presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is standing by its statement on the disqualification case against him, saying the former senator’s eligibility to run for office in 2010 should still be “valid” now.

“Yung statement po namin kahapon, I stand by it and we have the actual tape video recording of what he said,” said Atty. Victor Rodriguez, chief of staff and spokesperson of Marcos, during a Teleradyo interview Thursday.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) spokesperson James Jimenez earlier flagged as “misleading” a press statement issued by the camp of Marcos Jr. on Wednesday which sought to discredit a petition recently filed against the Marcos scion’s candidacy for president in 2022 polls.

The controversial press statement indicated that “Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez on Wednesday said the disqualification case filed against presidential aspirant Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. yesterday has no clear basis.”

But the Comelec official explained also on Wednesday that: “The PR [press release] is misleading. The quote was referring to why Senator Marcos hadn’t yet been disqualified despite the fact of his conviction. The original quote should have been taken in the context of the fact that the Senator ran for VP (vice president) in 2016. That quote was not intended in any way as a comment on the current petition recently filed.”

READ: Comelec spox flags ‘misleading’ statement from Marcos’ camp

Nevertheless, Rodriguez went on to say Thursday: “Hindi tayo makikipagtalo. If he said that he was taken out of context, ‘yun ang sinabi niya. ‘Yung sinabi ho namin, stand by it.”

“Kung ‘yun eh pinatutukoy niya (Jimenez) ‘yung 2016, if he (Marcos) is eligible to run nung 2016 and there is no basis at all to disqualify him or to deny due course through a certificate of candidacy, what difference does it make now? It was valid in 2010, eh ‘di valid din ngayon, hindi ba?” he added.

In 2010, the son and namesake of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos sought and won a Senate seat via the 2010 elections. In 2016, he ran for vice president but lost to Vice President Leni Robredo.

Earlier this week, civic groups including human rights victims of the Marcos dictatorship filed a petition asking the Comelec to cancel Marcos’ certificate of candidacy for president in the 2022 polls due to his 1995 conviction in a tax case.

READ: Petition to cancel COC of Bongbong Marcos filed before Comelec

Jimenez said the press release issued by the Marcos camp was based on his OneNews interview on Tuesday morning – before the petition was filed – where he pointed out that to merit disqualification from holding public office, the conviction should be for a crime committed under moral turpitude and the sentence should be at least 18 months.

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