(Eagle News) – The Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) has affirmed the integrity of the 2016 elections, dismissing the first cause of action of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., even as it continued to proceed with Marcos’ poll protest case.
The high court also dismissed the motion for reconsideration of Vice-President Leni Robredo which sought to overturn the earlier court decision finding merit in Marcos’ poll protest case.
With this resolution, the Supreme Court ruled that there is merit in Marcos’ poll protest case.
In his first cause of action, Marcos wanted the Supreme Court, sitting as the PET, to declare as inauthentic all the certificates of canvass used by Congress in declaring Robredo as the Vice President, and thus annul Robredo’s proclamation.
The SC said this first cause of action was dismissed for “judicial economy” and for the “prompt disposition of this case.”
Thus, while the SC had dismissed Marcos’ first cause of action, it said in its resolution that “this will not prevent the protest from continuing because [Marcos] can still prove his case through the second and third causes of action.”
SC to hear 2 other causes of action of Marcos camp
The high court would continue to hear the Marcos camp’s two other causes of action.
“Both these causes of action remain intact independent of the First Cause of Action,” the Court ruled in its resolution dated August 29, 2017, but was only released to the media on Tuesday, Sept. 5.
The Marcos camp’s second cause of action is the revision and recount of the votes for the vice-presidential race.
The tribunal in fact, granted, Marcos’ plea for the decryption and printing of ballot images in the three pilot provinces identified in his poll protest. These are in Camarines Sur, Iloilo, and Negros Oriental. The physical revision or recount will take place at the Supreme Court compound on Padre Faura.
The third cause of action is the nullification of votes in the vice-presidential elections in the other questioned provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur and Basilan because of alleged irregularities such as intimidation and pre-shading of ballots, terrorism, and harassment.
The court, in fact, gave the Marcos camp five non-extendible days so they could give a new list of witnesses to support the annulment of election results for vice-president in these three provinces.
The SC said the Marcos camp “has yet to submit such a list in compliance with the Tribunal’s directive.”
The PET said that the Marcos camp had been earlier required to submit at least three witnesses per clustered precincts in these provinces.
SC resolution hailed by both Marcos, Robredo camps
This resolution was hailed by the Marcos’ camp.
“We have the case exactly where we wanted it to be, the conduct manual recount and judicial revision and presentation of proof,” said Atty Victor Rodriguez, Marcos’ legal spokesperson.
But Atty. Romulo Macalintal, the lawyer of Vice-President Robredo, said that the ruling was actually in their favor.
“Dito sa tatlong probinsya—Camarines Sur, Iloilo, and Negros Oriental, which will be now the provinces where ballots will be retrieved, I don’t know where Mr. Marcos will get his evidence. Kasi ang sabi niya, he will just base it on the ballots,” Macalintal said.
He said the Robredo camp is sure of the early dismissal of the poll protest.
“Kaya we are very, very happy that with this resolution of the Supreme Court, we look forward to an early dismissal of the case of Mr. Marcos and I’m confident na kapag nabasa ito ni Mr. Marcos, I’m sure that Mr. Marcos will have second thoughts on this election protest,” he said.
The PET resolution was only made public on Tuesday.
Marcos’ poll protest covers 39,221 clustered precincts or a total of 132,446 precincts.
But Robredo filed a counter-protest which covers 8,042 clustered precincts or a total of of 31,278 precincts.