SC as PET orders Marcos to pay P66.2 million; Robredo, P8 million
THE SUPREME COURT (SC) sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal ( PET) has ordered the camp of Vice- President Maria Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo to pay P8 million as filing fee for a counter- electoral protest.
In the same resolution, Mr. Marcos is ordered to pay P66,223,000 for the court to resolve his protest, as provided by Rule 33 of the PET Rules.
The SC dismissed Ms. Robredo’s motion for reconsideration asking for an extension of payment “when it has already become necessary to retrieve the ballot boxes and election paraphernalia” in connection with her counter-protest.
Ms. Robredo is ordered to pay P8 million, as first tranche of the filing fee, “within a non-extendible period of five (5) days from notice of Resolution,” SC Spokesperson Theodore O. Te said.
To recall, the PET issued a resolution dated March 21 ordering the Robredo camp to pay P15,439,000, with the first tranche of P8 million to be paid on April 14 and the remaining P7.439 million on July 14.
However, Ms. Robredo, through her lawyers Romulo B. Macalintal and Maria Bernadette V. Sardillo, filed a manifestation before the SC asking for a deferment of payment pending the resolution of protest of defeated vice-presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr.
Mr. Macalintal said the Robredo camp has yet to receive a copy of the order, but they “respect the decision of PET and would like to reiterate [Ms.] Robredo’s willingness to comply with her obligation to pay the P8 million for her counter protest.”
MARCOS PAYMENT
With regards to Mr. Marcos’s protest, Rule 33 ( b) cites that: “If the protest or counter-protest requires bringing of ballot boxes and election documents or paraphernalia, Five Hundred Pesos (P500) for each precinct involved.”
“Based on the foregoing, the cash deposit for Protestant is P500 each for each of the 132,446 precincts in 39,221 precincts, which amounts to P66,223,000,” the three-page resolution signed by SC Clerk of Court and PET Clerk Atty. Felipe B. Anama reads.
Mr. Marcos paid the first tranche on April 17. The son of the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos, Sr. said his supporters pooled money to reach the amount ordered by the SC.
On April 20, Mr. Marcos filed a motion to dismiss Ms. Robredo’s counter-protest for her nonpayment. Citing Rule 34 of the 2010 Rules of the PET, the Marcos camp said the counter- protest should be immediately dismissed.
The case stemmed from an electoral protest filed by Mr. Marcos after losing in the vicepresidential race by a slim margin of about 260,000 votes to Ms. Robredo of the then-ruling Liberal Party after leading by almost a million votes early in the election count.