VP Leni Robredo’s tells Senator Marcos to move on

Robredo’s (left) legal team headed by Lawyer Bernadette Sardillo said that the dismissal means that Marcos’ (right) camp “failed to establish their case, and its high time to move on.”. (Facebook photos)

MANILA—Vice President Leni Robredo on Thursday advised former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos to “accept the facts” and “move on” after the Manila Prosecutor’s Office has cleared personnel of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and technology provider Smartmatic over the cybercrime charges filed against them by Marcos’ camp.

The Vice President’s camp issued the statement after Marcos’ camp asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to review the decision of the Manila Prosecutor’s Office.

Robredo’s legal team headed by Lawyer Bernadette Sardillo said that the dismissal means that Marcos’ camp “failed to establish their case, and its high time to move on.”

“While the right to litigate is accorded to any person, fair play demands that we guard against false or baseless charges,” Sardillo said.

“If their evidence is lacking, it should be declared to be so and no amount of appeal can change that,” she added.

According to Sardillo, “There are times when we just need to accept the facts and the truth no matter how painful it might be.”

Marcos’ campaign adviser, ABAKADA Party-list Rep. Jonathan dela Cruz asked the DOJ to look into script change by Smartmatic in the server used in the recent election

Dela Cruz alleged that two executives and a personnel of technology provider of Smartmatic, as well as several employees of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) connived to do the job.

“The dismissal means that they failed to establish their case. Mr. Marcos, however, does not want to move on,” Sardillo pointed out.

“His camp is now looking to the Department of Justice to rule in his favor. While the right to litigate is accorded to any person, fair play demands that we guard against false or baseless charges,” she stressed.

Sardillo added that “no amount of appeal” can change things if evidence is lacking to warrant the case to be brought to court.

The defeated vice presidential candidate, who lost to Robredo by 263,473 votes, also lodged an electoral protest against her before the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), a body composed of magistrates of the Supreme Court.