Marcos files motion to dismiss Robredo counter-protest

MANILA, Philippines — Defeated vice presidential bet Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Thursday filed an omnibus motion to dismiss the counter-protest of Vice President Leni Robredo against his electoral protest.

Marcos filed the motion following the failure of the Robredo camp to pay P15.6 million as cash deposit for her counter-protest which includes 31,278 clustered precincts.

On March 21, the Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), directed Marcos and Robredo to pay P66.2 million and P15.6 million, respectively for their protest and counter-protest.

Marcos was able to pay the first tranche of cash deposit worth P36 million before the set deadline last April 17 while Robredo failed to do so.

Robredo was supposed to pay the first installment of P8 million before the deadline.

The Marcos camp also asked the PET to immediately set the preliminary conference for his election protest.

The Robredo camp earlier said that they are willing to pay for their counter-protest only after the Marcos camp finishes the revision and recount of ballots.

"The payment that we are supposed to pay is for our counter-protest. So the counter-protest will only start after the protest and that is under Rule 65 of the Presidential Electoral Tribunal," Romulo Macalintal, Robredo's election lawyer, said in a television interview earlier this week.

Macalintal stressed that the Marcos camp should pay cash deposits of P185 million for all the 92,509 clustered precincts included in his protest.

Meanwhile, the Marcos camp said that the Robredo camp was intentionally delaying the proceedings of the electoral protest by filing unnecessary motions.