Robredo lawyer notes Bongbong’s ‘very childish attitude,’ refusal to accept defeat ‘in good grace’

The legal counsel of Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday slammed former Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos for saying he will not "move on" from his electoral protest.

"A very childish attitude of an election loser who cannot accept defeat in good grace. Such statement is so unbecoming of a man who projects himself as highly capable to lead as vice president of the country," attorney Romulo Macalintal said in a press statement.

"Indeed, how could he move on when he does not know who to blame for having lost in the 2016 VP election which he was so confident of winning. At first he blamed the Comelec as a 'co-conspirator' in the alleged electoral fraud committed by the camp of VP Leni Robredo," Macalintal pointed out.

"After accepting the integrity of the automated election system, Marcos is now blaming the alleged bias of Associate Justice Alfredo Caguioa against him and in favor of Robredo," he added.

Marcos is challenging Robredo's victory in the 2016 vice presidential race before the Supreme Court (SC), which sits as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET). Robredo defeated him by 263,473 votes.

Citing bias, Marcos had asked Caguioa to recuse himself from the case given due to "fraternal relations" with former President Benigno Aquino III and his wife being an "ardent supporter" of the vice president.

But, according to Supreme Court spokesman Theodore Te, Caguioa remains in charge of the protest after the tribunal rejected their colleague's request to reassign the management of the case.

Last week, the son of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos said his poll protest cannot move on supposedly due to "biased justice."

Bong Bong Marcos says unlike his sister's "move on" statement, his election protests cannot move on because of biased justice. | @chinogaston

— GMA News (@gmanews) August 24, 2018

Macalintal further said Marcos would only accept closure of his case and would only "move on” if he wins the election protest.

"But, sorry to say, he will stay put or remain without moving because he will never win his election protest since nobody wins an election protest on mere allegation that the judge is bias in favor of the other party," Macalintal said.

"Since the 2010 automated election and until the 2016 automated polls, nobody has ever won an election protest because the results of the recount of the physical ballots tallied with the electronically transmitted results," he added.

Macalintal also said if Marcos would not move on, his political career will be left behind. — Anna Felicia Bajo/BM, GMA News