(Eagle News) — The camp of Vice President Leni Robredo on Tuesday paid the first tranche required by the Presidential Electoral Tribunal for her electoral counterprotest to move forward.
The P8 million they paid, Atty. Barry Gutierrez, Robredo’s lawyer, said, was borrowed from Robredo’s relatives and those of the late Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo, her late husband.
Before making the payment, Robredo’s camp filed an appeal on the PET’s order to pay P15.43 million in total, but this was denied last Tuesday.
The PET ordered Robredo’s camp instead to pay the first tranche of the electoral fee within five days upon receipt of the newest order.
“Ang P8 milyon po hirap na hirap tayo para ibigay. Yung P36 milyon po ng mga Marcos, isang iglap lang andyan na agad. Napakadali lang para sa kanila,” Robredo told her supporters before the Supreme Court where they made the payment.
Robredo was referring to the camp of former Senator Bongbong Marcos, who last Tuesday was also ordered by the Supreme Court, acting as the PET, to pay around P66 million for his electoral protest against her to move forward.
Marcos’ camp has paid the first tranche worth around P36.023 million.
His second tranche and Robredo’s, amounting to P7.43 million, more or less, are due on July 14.
“Kahit po hindi naging madali, ito po ay isang laban na pagsisikapan po natin dahil ang laban pong ito’y hindi naman para sa akin,” Robredo said.
She noted that the reason she ran as vice president in the first place was so she could block the return of the Marcoses in power.
“Pero ang nakalulungkot po, dahil sa paghahangad na makabalik uli sa kapangyarihan (ni Marcos) ay ayaw pong tanggapin ang resulta ng eleksyon. Kaya andito po muli tayo ngayong umaga, pinapakipaglabang muli ang matagal na po nating pinapakipaglaban,” she said. With a report from Moira Encina, Eagle News
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