Robredo: Comelec's relaxation of rules should apply to all candidates

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) should relax its rules for all candidates in the name of fairness, Vice President and presidential aspirant Leni Robredo said Thursday.

Robredo said this in response to the Comelec 2nd Division order giving former senator and presidential aspirant Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. more time to answer petitions seeking to cancel his certificate of candidacy (COC) for president instead of sustaining the November 16 deadline.

"Parati naman nating pinaglalaban na sana pantay 'yung pag treat natin sa lahat. Kung ano iyong extension na binibigay hindi lang sa issue na ito...kung ano ang privilege na binibigay sa isang kandidato, dapat sa iba ganun rin (We have always fought for fairness. The extension given [by the Comelec] not only on this case...the privilege being given by the Comelec  to one candidate should also be extended to others)," she said during a visit in Cavite.

She was referring to Rule 23 Section 4.6 of the Comelec Rules of Procedure and Supreme Court ruling on mandatory and peremptory character of inextendible periods and the High Court's recognition that "procedural rules in election cases are designed to achieve not only a correct but also an expeditious determination of the popular will of the electorate." 

"Inaabangan natin kasi maraming debate tungkol diyan. Sa bahagi ng 2nd Division, ang sinasabi nila, nirelax nila 'yung sarili nilang ruling in the interest of due processs. Iyong iba naman, nagsasabi ito ay pag-ooverextend ng hand ng Comelec para pagbigyan ang isang kandidato (We will be on our toes how this will go because the Comelec said they relaxed rules in the name of due process but there are others saying that the Comelec overextended its hand to favor one candidate)," Robredo added.

The petitioners—among them human rights advocates and Martial Law survivors—are contending that Marcos lied in his COC by checking a box that he has not been convicted of a crime with a penalty of perpetual disqualification from public office.

Marcos, however, has been convicted with four counts of violating the Tax Code by the Court of Appeals due to his failure to file income tax returns from 1982  to 1985 when he was a public official of Ilocos Norte. These crimes are punishable by perpetual disqualification from public office.

The Comelec on Thursday junked the petitioners' appeal for the poll body to reverse its order allowing a one-week extension for Marcos to file his answer.

Lawyer Theodore Te, the counsel for the petitioners, earlier argued that Comelec has nothing to extend in the first place because Marcos' camp asked for extension on November 17 or a day after the deadline.—AOL, GMA News