Marcos DQ preliminary hearing set January 14

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has set on Jan. 14, 2022 the preliminary conference on a petition seeking to disqualify aspiring president Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the May 2022 polls.

The petition was filed by the Pudno nga Ilokano.

In a four-page summons, the Comelec said the preliminary conference would be held virtually at 10 a.m. and focus on seven important matters such as the production of a special power of attorney and comparison between the original or certified true copies of documents and physical documents, among others.

The Comelec said the simplification of issues, necessity of desirability of amendments to pleadings, possibility of obtaining stipulations or admissions of facts and documents to avoid unnecessary proof, and setting the period for submission of memoranda would also be discussed.

The submission of respective memoranda will be held not later than three days from Jan. 14, the poll body said.

Aside from setting the preliminary conference, the Comelec directed the camp of Marcos to file a verified answer to the petition filed by the Pudno nga Ilokano “within a non-extendible period” of five days upon receipt of the order.

The Comelec also directed Marcos to furnish the petitioners copies of his verified answer.

The camp of Marcos insisted there is no basis to disqualify him from the presidential election due to a 26-year-old tax case.

In a press conference on Wednesday Marcos’ spokesman Vic Rodriguez said the 1995 tax case had been closed and settled.

Rodriguez debunked allegations that Marcos has not yet paid the taxes and penalties stated in the decision handed down by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court.

He presented documents from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), to deny the allegations against Marcos.

Rodriguez presented a BIR certification issued on Dec. 9, indicating that Marcos made full payment of taxes and fines involved his tax case.

The document, signed by Arsenio Tomeldan of the Collection Section of BIR San Juan, showed Marcos paid at the LandBank of the Philipines, the amount covering the computation in the deficiency of the income taxes and fines.

The computation covered the taxable years 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1985.

The total deficiency in taxes and penalties paid in 2001 amounted to P67,137.27, which was the exact amount stipulated in the decision of the Court of Appeals (CA) in 1997.

BIR Collection Section chief Adelfa Mateo attested to the certification, which was noted and signed by Revenue District Officer Thelma Mangio.

“This certification from the BIR is undeniable proof that former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. complied with the payment of deficient taxes and fines as ordered in the 1997 CA ruling. This invalidates the ‘mother of all lies’ being propagated by some petitioners,” Rodriguez said. – Edu Punay

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