Calida’s motion for Leonen inhibition in VP poll protest filed due to public interest — Palace

Malacañang on Tuesday defended Solicitor General Jose Calida’s move to ask for the inhibition of Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Leonen in the election protest involving Vice President Leni Robredo and former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

Speaking at a news conference, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the motion had to be filed because it was “in the interest of our people” to know who actually won in the 2016 vice presidential election.

“We have an interest as a nation to find out if there is merit in fact in that election protest,” Roque said.

He also said President Rodrigo Duterte, an ally of the Marcos family, had allowed Cabinet officials to act on matters that fall under their respective jurisdictions.

“He does not micromanage,” Roque said.

Calida filed the motion just hours after Marcos made the same plea on Monday.

Like Marcos, the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) claimed that Leonen was biased against the Marcos family and had acted with delay on the protest.

The OSG, whose task is to represent the government in legal proceedings, argued it was acting as the “People’s Tribune,” in which it said it “represents the best interests of the State and may take an adverse position from the government agency under litigation.”

Robredo just laughed off Calida’s move.

Marcos lost to Robredo by 263,473 votes in the May 2016 election which the former senator claimed was marred by fraud.

In August 2018, the Palace said Duterte might resign should Marcos win his electoral protest against Robredo, whom the chief executive deemed “incompetent” to take on the country’s top job. — RSJ, GMA News