MANILA, Philippines - The online fundraising campaign launched by supporters of Vice President Leni Robredo to help finance her counter-protest against former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has raised about P6 million in almost a month.
More than 25,000 backers have responded to the Piso Para sa Laban ni Leni campaign launched by Robredo’s women supporters last July 4.
“Our movement is a testament how Filipinos from all over the country value and want to protect their votes,” Museo Pambata founder Nina Lim-Yuson, one of the campaign’s proponents, said.
“We will continue to ask support until we reach the amount needed,” she said.
Lim-Yuson, along with other women leaders, filed last June a petition before the Supreme Court (SC), sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), to allow them to contribute to Robredo’s counter-protest fee.
The other petitioners are former Pag-IBIG Fund chief executive officer Zorayda Amelia Alonzo, former human rights commissioner Paulynn Sicam, award-winning singer Celeste Legaspi-Gallardo, Ateneo de Manila University Press director Karina Bolasco and former social welfare secretary Corazon Soliman.
The PET, however, has yet to rule on their petition.
Earlier, the SC granted the request of Robredo’s lawyers for an extension of her deadline to pay the remaining P7.43 million required to process her counter-protest against Marcos.
Robredo paid the initial deposit of P8 million last May 2.
Marcos, on the other hand, has completed payment of the P66.02-million protest fee.
The former senator is contesting the poll results in 39,221 clustered precincts, while Robredo’s counter-protest covers 8,042 clustered precincts.