Leni denies stalling Marcos poll protest

MANILA, Philippines -  Vice President Leni Robredo has denied delaying the poll protest filed against her by rival former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

She said it was in her interest that this case be solved immediately to put to rest questions on her mandate.

“For me, it would be good (if the Presidential Election Tribunal) will start the recount. Because until the issue is resolved, it would only give Marcos’ supporters the right to claim that he’s the real vice president,” Robredo said in an interview with dzMM on Tuesday.

Marcos has asked the Supreme Court, sitting as the PET, to junk Robredo’s motion for reconsideration on its ruling allowing his poll protest to proceed.

“I think it is bad logic to think that I’m the one who doesn’t want the recount to happen,” she said.

Robredo also blamed the Marcos camp for the delays in the resolution of the case, noting that even if it filed the case in July 2016, their motion for the setting of the preliminary conference was only filed last January.

Marcos urged PET to order the immediate collection, retrieval, transport and delivery of ballot boxes from all 36,465 clustered precincts during the May 9, 2016 elections and to proceed with the preliminary conference.

Robredo defeated Marcos by around 200,000 votes.

After Robredo’s proclamation, the Marcos camp filed a protest and called for a recount, claiming voting irregularities in 662 poll precincts.

“His protest covers 662 municipalities but how come the affidavits they submitted only cover 57 voting precincts,” she said.

“So where are the affidavits for the rest?” Robredo asked.

Aside from Marcos’ protest, Robredo is facing impeachment threat over her video message at a recent United Nations side event, where she revealed police abuses in the government’s drug war.

Oliver Lozano and Melchor Chavez, known supporters of Marcos’ father and namesake, have filed an impeachment complaint against Robredo in the House of Representatives, accusing her of committing “acts of injustice” when she spread “fake news” about the Philippines in the UN video.

Source : PhilStar

Bongbong to PET Affirm ruling on protest vs Leni

MANILA, Philippines - Former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has asked the Supreme Court to affirm as a Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) its ruling in January allowing his election protest against Vice President Leni Robredo to proceed.

In a 25-page comment filed Friday, he asked PET to dismiss the appeal filed by Robredo and affirm its earlier finding that the protest is sufficient in form and substance.

“More than nine months have already gone by and all (that) Robredo has done is to file one dilatory motion after another. If (she) has nothing to hide, then she should do everything in her power to encourage – rather than hinder – this election protest to move forward,” read the pleading of Marcos’ lawyer George Garcia.

“The millions of voters who trooped to the polls nine months ago deserve no less. They want the truth to come out. The sooner the better,” it also read.

Marcos urged PET to order the immediate collection, retrieval, transport and delivery of ballot boxes from all 36,465 clustered precincts during the May 9, 2016 elections and to proceed with the preliminary conference as provided under Rule 29, aside from asking for a manual recount, judicial revision, technical examination and forensic investigation under Rule 37.

Garcia said the tribunal should not tolerate the duplicity of Robredo who has been insisting that she won the vice presidential race but has been opposing every move to prevent the truth from coming out.

“Robredo cannot have it both ways.  She cannot keep claiming that she won the elections fair and square and yet, behind everyone’s back, keeps finding ways to stop the truth from coming out.  The evidence of Marcos is probably the same evidence that Robredo has by now. If this is the case, one cannot help but wonder why she does not want the proceeding to move forward,” Garcia pointed out.

Source : PhilStar

Marcos asks SC to junk VP Robredos appeal

MANILA - Former Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. asked the Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), to junk Vice President Leni Robredo's motion for reconsideration on the tribunal's ruling finding Marcos' electoral protest vs Robredo "sufficient in form and substance."

Marcos asked the tribunal to direct the immediate "collection, retrieval, transport and delivery" of all the ballot boxes and other election materials related to the poll protest.

He also asked the tribunal to proceed with the conduct of preliminary conference on his poll protest.

"Contrary to the assertions of protestee Robredo, a review of the election protest filed in this case would easily reveal that the same contains a detailed narration or specification of the important and substantial facts, which consists of the acts and omissions complained of by the protestant showing the electoral frauds, anomalies and irregularities in the protested precincts,” a portion of Marcos’ opposition to Robredo’s petition reads.

“The electoral frauds, anomalies and irregularities, which were rampant in the provinces of Lanao Del Sur, Maguindanao and Basilan during the last elections, include terrorism, force, violence, threats and intimidation in the protested clustered precincts thereat.”

In an 8-page resolution dated January 24, 2017, the tribunal junked Robredo's bid for the dismissal of Marcos' election protest, insisting on its jurisdiction over the case.

Robredo argued that Marcos, son of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos, should have elevated his case before Congress, sitting as the National Board of Canvassers, as a pre-proclamation protest.

The PET, however, ruled that by virtue of Section 4, Article VII of the 1987 Constitution, in relation to Rule 13 of the 2010 PET Rules, "the Tribunal shall be the sole judge of all contests relating to the election, returns, and qualifications of the President or Vice-President of the Philippines.

Robredo, the highest elected official of the Liberal Party, got more than 14.4 million votes, narrowly beating Marcos, son and namesake of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who got more than 14.1 million votes.

Source : ABS-CBN

Marcos supporter confident Duterte wont intervene in Robredo impeach bid

A lawyer supporting losing vice presidential bet Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday said the impeachment complaint against Vice President Leni Robredo should push through even if it lacks the support of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Lawyer Larry Gadon, a losing senatorial candidate of the Marcos political party Kilusang Bagong Lipunan, said at a forum in Quezon City that they are confident Duterte will not intervene in a democratic process such as the possible impeachment of Robredo.

"President Duterte will always protect, will always uphold the democratic processes and this impeachment is part of the democratic processes," Gadon said.

"Hindi ito nangangahulugan na hindi namin sinusunod si President Duterte kundi ang tinitingnan lang dito ay ang kapakanan ng bansa hindi lamang kung anong mabuti kay Presidente Duterte na siya ay sundin dito sa bagay na 'to," he added.

Marcos loyalists Oliver Lozano and Melchor Chavez have endorsed an impeachment complaint against Robredo. A group of lawyers, mostly critics of Robredo, have also said they are preparing a similar complaint against the vice president.

Duterte on Thursday told Robredo's critics to "lay off" her and stop moves to impeach the vice president. He said Robredo should be allowed to speak her mind as she was merely exercising her "freedom of speech," though he has previously accused her of being in a hurry to take his position.

Former Negros Oriental representative Jacinto "Jing" Paras said during the same forum that if Duterte's remarks about the impeachment moves against Robredo are "contradictory."

"Contradictory rin yung sinasabi niya. Democracy, sinasabi niya, because Leni has been elected purportedly by the people. But democracy is also giving the power of the people to file an impeachment," Paras said.

"Medyo extreme yung sinasabi ng ating pangulo, pero sinasabi niyang ito rin ang possibility na pwede rin siyang (Duterte) tanggalin kasi democracy is either side of the coin, so to speak," he continued.

Robredo, in her video statement for a side session organized in line with the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs annual meeting, spoke about irregularities and alleged abuses in the administration's war on drugs.

Gadon believes Duterte "was only being nice" to Robredo and that he may have forgotten the contents of the vice president's speech, which he labeled as treasonous.

"The treacherous act was already committed. Perhaps President Duterte might have forgot something about it," he said. "I'm sure President Duterte will also respect the rights of the people to demand the removal of Leni Robredo."

Bongbong protest

Gadon, meanwhile, said that the Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, should hasten its decision on the petition filed by Marcos on the results of last May 2016's vice presidential election.

The lawyer said that moves to impeach Robredo can be avoided "if only the Supreme Court will act swiftly on the petition of Bongbong Marcos."

"Kung ika-calendar lang 'yan ng Supreme Court, it will be finished in three to six months," he added.

Source : GMA

Robredo sees Bongbong in impeach bid

MANILA, Philippines - There is no doubt in the mind of Vice President Leni Robredo that former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has a hand in the filing of impeachment complaints against her.

“It’s really hard if your opponents are the Marcoses. It seems that they want to drag the entire country just because they could not accept defeat,” Robredo said in remarks before urban poor groups who visited her office on Thursday to express their support.

Robredo was apparently referring to the late dictator’s son and namesake whom she beat by a narrow margin in the vice presidential race last year. He has a pending electoral protest against the Vice President.

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The Vice President said she has been the target of criticisms and allegations after she defeated Marcos in the elections.

“Maybe if our opponent was not a Marcos, the situation would not be this chaotic,” she said in Filipino.

President Duterte, a close friend of the Marcoses, has accused the Vice President of being “overeager” to assume the presidency. But he expressed belief Robredo was not involved in any attempt to oust him or destabilize the administration.

Known Marcos loyalists Oliver Lozano and Melchor Chavez last week filed an impeachment complaint against Robredo, accusing her of having “committed acts of injustice” when she spread “fake news” about the Philippines with her video message to the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs side event criticizing the administration’s war on drugs.

Another group called “Impeach Leni Team” is set to file a second impeachment complaint against the Vice President.

Sen. Francis Pangilinan, meanwhile, maintained that criticisms aired against the Duterte administration should not be immediately seen as destabilization.

Pangilinan, president of the Liberal Party (LP), issued the statement as Malacañang and its allies in Congress have repeatedly warned of attempts to oust President Duterte by some opposition groups identified with the previous administration.

“Dissent does not mean destabilization. We are in a democracy, not a dictatorship. Dissent to ensure checks and balance is a constitutional duty,” Pangilinan pointed out.

He said the Senate should not shirk from its duty to investigate what he considered excesses or abuses in the executive department.

He cited as examples the extrajudicial killings and the police’s “tokhang” operations, the P50-million bribery scandal at the Bureau of Immigration, the killing of Albuera, Leyte mayor Rolando Espinosa by policemen in his cell and the kidnapping and murder of Korean Jee Ick-joo.

“It is our constitutional duty in the legislative branch to act as a check and balance on the executive branch,” Pangilinan said.

Last week Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III and LP senators engaged in a verbal tussle over calls to oust Duterte that both sides agreed were hurting the passage of vital legislation.

The bickering between Pimentel and the LP senators led by Pangilinan started when the party as well as the minority bloc bragged about their legislative accomplishments and asked the Senate President to stop talking about the possible impeachment of Robredo.

LP senators led by Franklin Drilon dominate the minority bloc. Other members of the minority are Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV of the Nacionalista Party and Sen. Risa Hontiveros of Akbayan. Pimentel accused the LP senators of being domineering and dictating on their colleagues.

“The key here is simply respect for each other,” the Senate President said in a text message.

Source : PhilStar

Robredo cites Bongbong anew for her hardships as VP

Vice President Leni Robredo once again pointed at former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., her toughest rival during the 2016 polls, for the hardships she has been enduring as she performs her sworn duties.

She made the remark before a gathering of several members of multi-sectoral groups who came Thursday at Office of the Vice President to see her and to express their support.  

Her audience on that day included representatives from Akbayan, People Power Volunteers for Reform, and Change Politics Movement, whom she said fought for democracy amid the country’s “dark” experience.

“Naiintindihan po natin ‘yan. Alam natin na marami tayong mga pinagdadaanan na mahirap. Halimbawa po sa akin, alam n’yo naman siguro kung gaano kahirap,” she said.

“Noong eleksyon maraming naninira sa ating katauhan, pero kayo nanindigan dahil kayo ang mas nakakaalam kung sino tayo. Pero inaasahan po natin na pagkataops ng eleksyon, mahihinto na lahat at magtratrabaho na tayo, kaya lang pagkatapos ng eleksyon, mahirap po ata talagang kalaban ang Marcos.” 

Robredo lamented that Marcos still cannot accept his defeat, and in his bid for power he is dragging the country down.

“Siguro kung hindi Marcos ang kalaban natin, hindi naman ganito kagulo pero alam po natin na walang pagtanggap ng pagkatalo pero parang dinadamay ang buong bansa dahil ayaw lang tanggapin ang pagkatalo. Iyong sa atin po nalulungkot tayo pero sadyang may ganoon na kailangan nating harapin,” she said.

The Vice President earlier said Marcos may be involved in what she considers as a “concerted” online attacks against her. 

The former senator, son of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos Sr, is questioning Robredo’s victory through an ongoing electoral protest before the Presidential Electoral Tribunal.

Robredo is also facing a possible impeachment, with some of her adversaries accusing her of "shaming" the nation through "false representation" when she alleged, in her video message presented at a United Nations-led human rights forum, that there are "irregularities" in law enforcement,  including the police's alleged "palit-ulo" scheme.

Source : GMA