Marcos asks PET to assign commissioners in poll protest

MANILA, Philippines — Defeated vice presidential candidate Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Tuesday filed an urgent ex-parte motion before the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) to assign hearing commissioners for the preliminary conference of his electoral protest.

The Supreme Court, sitting as the PET, earlier granted the motion of Marcos for the immediate setting of the preliminary conference on June 21.

The Marcos camp requested for the designation of at least three hearing commissioners to assist the tribunal during the preliminary conference and the trial proper of his protest against Vice President Leni Robredo.

"With all due respect, the designation of at least 3 hearing commissioners will better facilitate an orderly, simplified and expeditious disposition of this electoral contest considering that there are three (3) causes of action raised in this election protest," the motion read.

The motion suggested that each commissioner be assigned to a specific cause of action for conducting the preliminary conference and the trial proper.

The tribunal set the preliminary conference for Marcos' electoral protest after paying initial cash deposits to cover the cost of the retrieval of election documents.

Marcos was ordered to pay P66 million for the more than 36,400 clustered precincts he is questioning while Robredo was ordered to pay P15 million for her counter-protest.

Both camps had deposited the initial cash deposits of P36 million for Marcos and P8 million for Robredo. — Patricia Lourdes Viray

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