Marcos Jr.'s camp confident of Comelec junking of DQ cases

The camp of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday expressed optimism that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) will vote in their favor on the disqualification cases filed against the presidential candidate.

“We’ve always been confident in our cases before the commission,” lawyer Vic Rodriguez, spokesperson of Marcos, said in an interview with GMA News.

“Inaantabayanan na lamang natin ay yung magiging hatol o husga ng commission en banc. But were very confident na wala namang magiging basehan para magbago pa yang dismissal of all disqualification cases filed against presidential front-runner Bongbong Marcos,” he said.

(We’re now waiting for the ruling of the commission en banc.  But we're very confident  there will be no basis for them to revert the dismissal of all disqualification cases filed against presidential front-runner Bongbong Marcos.)

The Comelec, over the weekend, announced it will release its ruling on the petitions on Tuesday, May 10.

This comes after Comelec chairman Saidamen Pangarungan said the ruling on three consolidated cases was already signed but that the poll body decided to wait for the promulgation of the fourth case since it has recently reached the en banc.

The said disqualification cases were filed separately by the leaders of Akbayan party-list, Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law (CARMMA), and the Pudno Nga Ilokano (Ang Totoong Ilokano) asking the Comelec en banc to reconsider the division's decision to junk the disqualification case against Marcos Jr., son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, Sr.

Asked about the possible scenarios ahead of the decision, Rodriguez said their camp opted to wait for the poll body’s ruling first.

“Intayin na lang ang hatol ng commission kung ito ay ilalabas,” he said.

(Let’s just wait for the commission’s ruling if they will release it.)

On April 20, the Comelec First Division junked the final disqualification case against Marcos Jr.  for "lack of merit."

In case of an unfavorable ruling, petitioners from both camps could seek the intervention of the Supreme Court to appeal the decision.—LDF, GMA News