Bongbong camp confident over SC cases

We are confident, though, that the processes will uphold the overwhelming mandate that president-elect Bongbong Marcos Jr. has earned in the elections

Members of Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law (CARMMA) have filed a second case before the Supreme Court, challenging the ruling of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) denying the disqualification case against presumptive president Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

The petitioners were led by Bonifacio Parabuac Ilagan, Saturnino Cunanan Ocampo, Maria Carolina Pagaduan Araullo, Trinidad Gerilla Repuno, Joanna Kintanar Carino, Elisa Tita Perez Lubi, and Liza Largoza Maza, all CARMMA members.

Atty. Vic Rodriguez, chief of staff and spokesperson of President-elect Bongbong Marcos Jr., said it was understandable for the petitioners to want to exhaust all their remedies under the law “regardless of the dim chances of success.”

“We live in a democracy, and they enjoy rights under the Constitution, including an appeal or to seek for a restraining order,” he said.

“We are confident, though, that the processes will uphold the overwhelming mandate that president-elect Bongbong Marcos Jr. has earned in the elections, and we continue to call for unity and for all of us to move forward and proceed the national activity of building this nation,” he added.

The first petition before the High Bench seeks the disqualification of Marcos Jr. and a stop to the canvassing by Congress of the votes cast in his favor.

The second petition pleaded the SC to “declare the candidate with the most number of votes, Maria Leonor Gerona Robredo, as the winner of the recently concluded presidential election” if the Comelec’s ruling is reversed.

As of 13 May, Marcos Jr. was on top of the partial and unofficial count of votes with 31,104,175 votes as against Robredo’s 14,822,051 votes, based on data from the Comelec Transparency Media Server.

His running mate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte also maintained a huge lead among other vice-presidential candidates with 31,561,948 votes.

On 24 May, Congress starts its canvass of votes for president and vice president and will proclaim the winners thereafter.

The SC is still on its decision-writing recess until 10 June, and the first full court session is expected to be held on 14 June.

PHOTOGRAPH BY AL PADILLA FOR THE DAILY TRIBUNE @tribunephl_al PASAY City residents seeking employment take advantage of a job fair the Pasay City local government is now offering at city hall.