Tolentino to file motion to suspend De Lima election case

Presidential Adviser for Political Affairs Secretary Francis Tolentino will file a motion to suspend his pending electoral protest against Senator Leila de Lima.

He revealed this last Thursday during his radio program in DWIZ 882, adding that he is planning to file his Certificate of Candidacy for senatorial elections in the coming week.

“Kaya ako next week pa kasi kailangan kong i-suspend yung election protest ko kay De Lima. Naka-pending 'yun (That’s why I’ll file next week because I need to suspend the election protest against De Lima. It’s still pending),” Tolentino said. “Hindi na-resolve ito ng Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET).Kailangan mag-file po ako ng isang petition para po ma-archive ‘yung kasong finile ko kay Leila de Lima (This was not resolved by the Senate Electoral Tribunal. I need to file a petition to put the case in the archives).”

He explained that the move is meant to declare the case unresolved and let the Filipinos decide the case before the 2019 elections.

“Baka maglabas ng decision ang Senate Election Tribunal na pabor kay de Lima. Ayaw ko ng

ganun ang mangyari (The SET might release a decision in favor of De Lima. I don’t want that to happen),” Tolentino said, adding that his party had presented strong evidence against the senator.

“Sa mata ng kasaysayan, sa mata ng election, at sa mata rin ng 13 milyong bumoto sa akin

noong nakaraang eleksyon, hindi ko sila pinabayaan. Ipinaglaban ko yung boto nila nung 2016

hanggang ngayon (In the eyes of history, of the elections and of the 13 million who voted for me, I did not abandon them. I fought for their votes in 2016 until now),”he said.

Tolentino finished 13th in the 2016 elections, while the detained senator secured the last seat in the Senate.

The former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairman and Tagaytay mayor filed the electoral protest before the SET in 2016 to seek the nullification of De Lima’s victory in the senatorial race.