Robredo’s camp says tribunal decision is “procedural matter”

February 16, 2017

A resolution of the Presidential Electoral Tribunal saying that the protest of losing Vice Presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr is “"sufficient in form and substance" is a procedural matter.

In a statement on Thursday, Romulo Macalintal, the lawyer of Vice President Leni Robredo, said the decisions mean the tribunal “will proceed with the case.”

“It does not in any way reflect the validity or merits of any allegation of fraud or irregularity contesting the proclamation of Vice President Leni Robredo,” said Macalintal.

Macalintal said the tribunal’s decision means Marcos is just being given "the opportunity to prove his case."

In an eight-page resolution on January 24, 2017, the tribunal said: “On the matter of the sufficiency of the protest, the same [is] already beyond dispute.  With the issuance of the Summons, the Tribunal has found the Protest to be sufficient in form and substance.  The Protest contained narrations of ultimate facts on the alleged irregularities and anomalies in the contested clustered precincts, which the protestant needs to prove in due time.”

The camp of  Marcos welcomed the recent resolution of the Supreme Court, acting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, affirming its earlier resolution finding the vice-presidential bet’s election protest as sufficient in form and substance.

Victor Rodriguez, spokesman of Marcos said,  Marcos was pleased the tribunal denied the motion of  Robredo to conduct a preliminary hearing on his election protest and  dismiss it for lack of jurisdiction.

“We are hoping that with this resolution, there will be an end to all these delays and we can finally move forward.  There is a need to ferret out the truth as to what really transpired during the vice presidential race last May,” Rodriguez said.

Robredo won the 2016 vice presidential race by garnering 14, 418, 817 votes to Marcos’ 14, 155, 344. DMS