Robredo pays P8-M for poll counter-protest at PET

Vice President Leni Robredo has settled the first installment of the required fees for her counter-protest in the pending poll case filed against her by former Sen. Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.

Robredo herself trooped to the Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), on Tuesday morning to pay an initial P8 million, after her motion to hold the payment in abeyance was turned down by the tribunal.

VP Leni Robredo settles P8M initial deposit before PET to jumpstart recount vs Sen. Bongbong Marcos. pic.twitter.com/tibOK7mCJf

— Lia Del Castillo (@LiaManalac) May 2, 2017

The Vice President has to pay a total of P15.44 million for her counter-protest, where she questions the results in 8,042 clustered precincts, composed of 31,278 established precincts.

This is part of the P81.46 million that she and Marcos are required to raise to move the poll protest forward. The fees will cover the retrieval of contested ballot boxes and election documents from contested precincts.

Of the total amount, determined at P500 per established precinct, P66 million must come from Marcos, who is seeking a recount for more than 36,000 clustered precincts and the nullity of results in nearly 3,000 others.

The former senator, who lost to Robredo by just over 200,000 votes, was able to pay the initial P36 million for his protest last April 17.

After beating the April 17 deadline, Marcos asked the PET to dismiss Robredo's counter-protest on the ground that she failed to post the initial cash deposit within the prescribed time limit.

He said Rule 34 of the 2010 Rules of the Presidential Electoral Tribunal empowers the body "to dismiss the protest or counter-protest or take such action as it may deem equitable under the circumstances."

Marcos also cited two cases where the SC upheld the dismissal of election protests for non-payment of cash deposits on time.

The tribunal, however, said it deferred action on Marcos' motion "until Robredo complies with the directive to pay the deposit."

The deadline for payment of the second installment is on July 14.

Barry Gutierrez, Robredo’s legal adviser, said she settled the initial payment from her “personal funds,” and money borrowed from some relatives of her late husband, former Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo.

Gutierrez identified them as Vicente Hao Chin, Pablito Chua, and Rafael Bundoc.

After paying the cash deposit, Robredo addressed some supporters who were wearing black. She came out at the side gate, accompanied by her lead counsel, Romulo Macalintal, and former Commission on Human Rights chief Etta Rosales, a Martial Law victim.

Right across the SC main building, meanwhile, were a number of Marcos supporters calling for a recount.

No money

The Vice President admitted that it was difficult for her to raise the cash deposit, chiding her closest rival for using alleged ill-gotten wealth to fund his “return to power.”

“Nabalitaan po natin na minamaliit po tayo dahil wala tayong pera, minamaliit tayo dahil saan ko daw po kukunin? Saan ko raw po kukunin ang ating idedeposito, at babantayan kung saan ito galing … Totoo po na wala kaming pambayad, isang pagpapakita na kahit mahabang panahon nanungkulan [ang asawa ko], hindi nagnakaw ng pera ng bayan,” she added.

“‘Yung akin pong tanong, masasabi po ba yan ni Ginoong Marcos? Na hindi nagnakaw ‘yung pamilya niya sa kaban ng bayan?” she added.

She noted that some of her supporters gathered at the SC compound included Martial Law victims, and underscored that she ran as vice president to block Marcos.

“Kaya nandito po ulit tayo ngayong umaga, pinapakipaglaban ulit ‘yung matagal na nating pinaglalaban. Alam po natin ‘yung kasaysayan na pinagdaanan natin at alam natin na ayaw na natin ‘yung balikan,” she said.

“‘Yung laban po nila, mas grabe pa sa laban ko, na ‘yung kanilang mga karapatan ay talagang pinagdusahan, pinaghirapan, at hanggang ngayon nandito pa rin sila, pinapakipaglaban ‘yung kanilang karapatan, naniningil sa dapat na ibigay sa kanila. Nalulungkot po tayo na imbes na ibigay ito sa mga biktima, ginagastos ulit para makabalik sa kapangyarihan,” she added.

Marcos' camp, meanwhile, welcomed Robredo's payment of the poll protest fee.

"We welcome that and congratulations to her. Finally natutunan niyang sundin at kilalanin ang tribunal at ang mga mahistradong bumubuo nito, pati ang pag-sunod sa order issued by the tribunal," Marcos' Vic Rodriguez, legal counsel and spokesperson of Marcos, said in an interview on News To Go.

Rodriguez said they are now busy preparing for the preliminary conference set by the PET on June 21.

"We are waiting for June 21, the conduct of the preliminary conference. We are now busy preparing for our preliminary conference brief that will be submitted five days before the June 21, setting for the preliminary conference," the lawyer said.

He said they will identify in the brief the first three provinces that should be reviewed by the PET.

"Significant po 'yun, dahil doon papangalanan po natin yung tatlong pangunang probinsiya na bibilangin at bubuksan upang ipakita na talagang dinaya si Senador Marcos ni Mrs. Robredo," he added.

He said they are "very optimistic" that they will be able to prove that Marcos lost because of vote-rigging.

"Basta na-set na yung preliminary conference yung ating election protest eh mahihirapan na po silang i-delay ng sadya ang takbo nito. We're very very optimistic that we'll be able to establish our case before the tribunal," he said. —with a report from Virgil Lopez and Marlly Rome C. Bondoc/KG/ALG, GMA News