VP camp: Marcos bluffing in poll protest
FORMER senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is lying about his announcement to withdraw all motions that would delay the recount of ballots from the 2016 elections in the race for Vice President in the three pilot provinces of Camarines Sur, Negros Oriental and Iloilo, the camp of Vice President Maria Leonor Robredo said on Wednesday.
Lawyer Romulo Macalintal, the legal counsel for Robredo, noted that Marcos merely affixed his signature to a joint manifestation withdrawing all motions that could delay the recount.
The pleading, according to Macalintal, does not carry weight since a manifestation is one wherein the party merely makes a representation or statement, which the court may just take note of without any action at all.
He dared Marcos to sign a joint motion to withdraw any and all pending motions and incidents at the Presidential Electoral Tribunal that may cause the delay of the recount of ballots from the pilot provinces on Wednesday morning.The senator did not oblige.
“Despite his news release that he had already signed a ‘ joint motion’ to withdraw all pending motions at the Presidential Electoral Tribunal that would delay the recount of ballots, former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. did not show up at the venue of signing and even sent the wrong pleading [with a manifestation]. A motion is a pleading where a party asks the court to grant him the relief or remedies or what he wants from the court,” Macalintal said in a statement.
He cited a Supreme Court ruling, which states that manifes- tations “are usually made merely for the information of the court as there is nothing to contest or argue; the manifesting party is just making a statement for the knowledge of the court.”
“Marcos’ failure to sign a real joint motion is a clear indication a joint motion to dismiss all pending incidents knowing fully well that he [Marcos] is the one with pending motion which may affect the recount proceedings,” Macalintal said.
He earlier noted that Robredo does not have any pending motion before the electoral tribunal.
Marcos, on the other hand, according to Macalintal, has a pending motion for reconsideration on a ruling of the tribunal granting copies of ballot images in the three pilot provinces to the Robredo camp.
Lawyer Vic Rodriguez, counsel for Marcos, maintained that his client will not sign a joint motion to withdraw any and all pending motions and incidents at the PET that may cause the delay of the recount of ballots from the pilot provinces.
“We have signed the joint manifestation as early as yesterday and it contains no less than the signature of the protestant himself, former senator Marcos. We have served it to Mrs. Robredo’s counsel and expect her to affix her signature to it just like what Mr. Marcos did,” Rodriguez said in a text message when asked if his client would change his pleading from manifestation to motion.