Lawmaker calls for Calida to step down after SC junks Marcos poll protest
MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker is calling on Solicitor General Jose Calida to step down out of “delicadeza” after the Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, junked former Senator Bongbong Marcos poll protest against Vice President Leni Robredo.
“This is a big shame to the OSG (Office of the Solicitor General) that muddled with a private matter and supported Bongbong Marcos,” Rep. France Castro (ACT Teachers party-list) said in Filipino hours after the SC unanimously rejected Marcos’ bid to overturn the results of the 2016 vice presidential elections.
Calida, who supported Marcos during the 2016 elections, has taken positions that would have benefitted the former senator during his poll protest.
The government’s top lawyer, like Marcos, moved for the inhibition of SC Associate Justice Marvic Leonen from the poll protest.
He also told the SC that it has the power to declare a failure of elections — something which Marcos was pushing for in his protest.
When the SC deliberated on whether ovals on ballots shaded by just 25% are valid, Calida said there would be no basis to apply the 25% threshold in the recount, while the Commission on Elections said in its own comment that voting machines were calibrated to read as valid votes marks that cover at least 25% of the oval.
“The PET decision, clearly, is also a big legal slap on the Solicitor General, who even intervened in the case in support of Marcos — who is clearly, a private party!” House Deputy Minority Leader Carlos Zarate (Bayan Muna party-list) said.
In defending his stance on the shading of ovals, Calida said that it is his duty to present to the PET “the position he perceives to be in the best interest of the Republic.”
He added that the solicitor general can present a stance that may be different from the government agency he may be representing, which in this case is the Comelec. — Xave Gregorio with reports from Kristine Joy Patag
Romulo Macalintal, the lawyer of Vice President Leni Robredo, challenges defeated candidate Bongbong Marcos to sign a memorandum to prove his claims of electoral fraud against Robredo.
VP Leni's lawyer .@atty_mac challenges Marcos to sign MOA to prove his claims of fraud thru VCMs. @PhilippineStar pic.twitter.com/X1EUeiH6bW
— sheila crisostomo (@shecrisostomo) January 31, 2017
An organization of Martial Law victims welcomes the junking of former Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s electoral protest against Vice President Leni Robredo, saying the rejection of claims of electoral fraud makes it "now clear that Marcos' baseless and malicious protest and accusations are mere tantrums of a brat who can't accept defeat."
Danilo dela Fuente, spokesperson of Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA), says Robredo's election as vice president in the 2016 polls "is a strong rejection of their desperate attempts to wash off their bloody record of human rights violations and corruption during Martial Law."
Dela Fuente stresses though, that Marcos' defeat at the polls does not mean an end to the campaign to hold the Marcoses accountable.
"Justice is yet to be served. Imelda Marcos, despite being found guilty by the Sandiganbayan of amassing wealth from plundering the nation's coffers, is still free, while many elderly and sickly political prisoners are languishing behind bars due to trumped up cases," he says.
The former first lady is appealing seven counts of graft that the Sandiganbayan convicted her of in 2018. Marcos was found guilty of creating private foundations in Switzerland from 1978 to 1984 that allowed her family to funnel illegally amassed government funds during the Martial Law period.
The camp of defeated vice presidential bet Bongbong Marcos insists that the Presidential Electoral Tribunal has yet to decide on their third cause of action.
Marcos' third cause of action is the annulment of votes in Mindanao.
According to Marcos' spokesperson Vic Rodriguez, the tribunal only unanimously voted to dismiss their second cause of action, which is the manual recount and judicial revision.
The Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, has unanimously dismissed the election protested of former Sen. Bongbong Marcos against Vice President Leni Robredo, according to a source. — report from News5
JUST IN | The Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, has unanimously dismissed the electoral protest that former senator Bongbong Marcos filed against Vice Pres. Leni Robredo. (via News5/@dqdevera) pic.twitter.com/mPYssR92BG
— ONE News PH (@onenewsph) February 16, 2021
Lawyers of Vice President Leni Robredo ask the Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, to investigate for possible collusion between Solicitor General Jose Calida, 19 assistant solicitors general and defeated vice presidential bet Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. in "besmirching the reputation" of Associate Justice Marvic Leonen.
"Indeed, how does siding with one man serve the welfare of the people; and, why would he take up the position of the defeated candidate whose interest is to call into question and effectively disenfranchise the vote of the people of the Philippines?" Robredo's lawyers ask the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG).
Noting "eerily similar" motions for inhibition of Leonen, Robredo's legal team accuses the OSG of lawyering for Marcos.
The Liberal Party, of which Vice President Leni Robredo is chair, says it hopes the Supreme Court will finally decide on former Sen. Ferdinand Marcos' election protest against her.
"VP Robredo defeated Marcos by 263,473 votes in the 2016 vice presidential elections. This lead further grew to 278,566 votes with an additional 15,093 votes from a recount that Mr. Marcos himself pushed for. Malinaw na panalo si VP Leni noong 2016. Malinaw na siya rin ang nagwagi sa recount. Wala nang dapat hintayin pa ang Korte Suprema. Wala nang dahilan para pahabain pa ang kasong ito," the minority party says.
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