Marcos camp: Robredo delaying poll protest

MANILA, Philippines — The camp of Vice President Leni Robredo is intentionally delaying the election protest of former Sen. Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., his lawyer said.

On Monday, Marcos paid a cash deposit of about P36 million to the Presidential Electoral Tribunal for the 36,465 clustered precincts, whose results he is protesting.

Vic Rodriguez, legal spokesperson of Marcos, said that motions previously filed by the Robredo camp were unnecessary.

"It is our position and humble submission that the only intent is to delay the already very slow pace of this election protest," Rodriguez said in a telephone interview with ANC's Headstart on Tuesday morning.

Rodriguez also said that the Robredo camp is making their "search for truth" very expensive when her lawyers questioned the amount that the Presidential Electoral Tribunal ordered Marcos to pay.

Lawyer Romulo Macalintal, lead counsel for Robredo, earlier said that Marcos should pay P185 million for all the 92,509 clustered precincts involved in his poll protest.

"Yesterday, we already complied with our partial deposit notwithstanding the very limited time that were given to Senator Marcos," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez added that Robredo missed her chance after failing to meet the PET's deadline for her to pay P15.6 million for the 31,278 precincts included in her counter-protest.

"We have complied. The election protest will continue and we will move for the dismissal of the counter-protest of Mrs. Leni Robredo so in that way the whole process will be able to run its natural cause unimpeded with unnecessary delays being filed by the protestee," the Marcos spokesperson said.

'Robredo's counter-protest will be dismissed'

Citing Rule 34 of the PET, Rodriguez said that Robredo's counter-protest will eventually be dismissed for her camp's failure to make the cash deposit.

The Marcos camp said that there would be no more reason for the tribunal not to set a preliminary conference for the electoral protest.

During the preliminary conference, the Marcos camp will be asked to name three initial provinces that "best exemplifies fraud," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said that the Robredo camp has been stalling the preliminary conference to avoid the issuance of a PET order to form revision committees.

"Even if we are likewise questioning the basis of the computation of the P66 million, we have complied. I guess there's no better proof than the earnestness of Senator Bongbong Marcos to proceed with the election protest and establish the truth," Rodriguez said.

Robredo has said in the past that resolving the protest sooner would actually favor her since that would remove doubts cast on her legitimacy as vice president.

In the same interview, Macalintal said that Marcos' poll protest was "very weak."

"The problem with the protest of Mr. Marcos is that he presented a very weak protest. Masyadong madami. He could not concentrate on only one or two provinces," Macalintal said.