VP Leni to Bongbong: Prove fraud or withdraw electoral protest

VP Leni to Bongbong: Prove fraud or withdraw electoral protest (Photo: Leni Robredo/Facebook)

MANILA—The lead counsel of Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo on Thursday challenged the camp of former Senator Bongbong Marcos to withdraw the electoral protest they filed if they cannot prove “massive fraud” to the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET).

At the same time, Lawyer Romy Macalintal likewise challenged Marcos’ lawyers, led by his spokesman Vic Rodriguez, to sign an agreement with him that they will give up their licenses as lawyers should they fail to prove their allegations

Rodriguez claimed that “massive fraud was indeed committed in the last elections,” after data was seen in at least 13 of 26 SD cards during the decrypting or unlocking process at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) main office last Monday.

However, Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said it would be “most prudent” to just wait for the result of the decrypting process, saying the statements made “appear to be speculative and are, unsurprisingly, consistent with their theory.”

He said no timeline has been set for the completion of the process, the results of which will then be forwarded to the PET.

Macalintal pointed out in a chance interview that he is also willing to give up his license to practice law and quit as Robredo’s lead counsel, if proven that the fraud caused Marcos to lose by a little over 200,000 votes.

According to the veteran election lawyer, the statement is “strongly-worded,” picturing that Robredo only climbed to power because of cheating.

“I believe this is the best and most suitable way to put an end to this controversy and for the entire electorate and the Filipino people to find out who is telling the truth—Marcos or Robredo— regarding the alleged data found on these 13 SD cards,” he explained.

Once they fail to prove their allegations, Macalintal said, “they should apologize to the Filipino people once it is shown and proven that their statement, like a vagrant, had no visible means of legal or factual support as they are baseless and clearly self-serving.”

With this, he called on their opponent’s camp to file with them a joint manifestation before the Commission on Elections (Comelec), to suspend the verification of the SD cards “until such agreement is signed by the parties.”

These SD cards were among the 127 pieces found to have data during the stripping of 1,356 backup VCM units which Robredo’s camp had pointed out are not even part of the protest Marcos lodged before the Supreme Court, sitting as members of PET.

Macalintal said they nevertheless agreed to the said examination “for purposes of transparency and to prove that Robredo is not hiding anything nor is she afraid to face Marcos” in the protest.

He added that it was “highly ridiculous, if not outright frivolous” for the Marcos camp to feel “as if they had already won the election” with the said development because the exact contents have yet to be determined.