Marcos camp to SC petitioners: Respect will of Filipino people

The camp of presumptive president Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., has asked petitioners seeking before the Supreme Court the cancellation of his certificate of candidacy to respect "the will of the Filipino people."

Atty. Vic Rodriguez said that the Marcos camp had yet to receive a copy of the petition, which asked the SC to issue a temporary restraining order on the counting of votes cast for Marcos and his proclamation should he win.

"I appeal to those who keep on pursuing these divisiveness. The people have spoken. The Filipino people have spoken and an overwhelming majority has voted president-elect Bongbong Marcos and vice president-elect Inday Sara Duterte into office as president and vice president," Rodriguez said.

"We're all limited to 24 hours in a day. Allow us to be more productive and learn to respect the will of the Filipino people," he added.

Petitioners Fr. Christian Buenafe, Fides Lim, Ma. Edeliza Hernandez, Celia Lagman Sevilla, Roland Vibal, and Josephine Lascano have asked the SC to issue a TRO enjoining and restraining the Senate and House of Representatives from canvassing the votes cast for Marcos and proclaiming him as president should he win the May 9 polls.

They have also asked the SC to:

• give due course to the petition;
• grant the relief prayed for by reversing and setting aside the resolution dated May 10, 2022 and the resolution dated January 17, 2022 of the Commission on Elections (Comelec);
• cancel and declare void ab initio the COC for president filed by Marcos and, in the process, declare him to have never been a candidate in the 2022 national elections; and
• make permanent the TRO issued against Congress and enjoin and restrain Congress from canvassing the votes cast for Marcos for president.

House Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez said Congress should push through with the canvassing of votes for president and vice president next week as it was their constitutional duty to perform.

"Clearly, the Constitution directs us to do the canvass. It even sets a timeline. We have to carry out this mandate, unless and until there is a restraining order from the Supreme Court,” Rodriguez said in a press release. —NB, GMA News