Marcos snubs signing of MOA prepared by VP Robredo’s camp

Marcos snubs signing of MOA prepared by VP Robredo’s camp (Photo: Bongbong Marcos/Facebook)

MANILA—The camp of former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. snubbed the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) prepared by the camp of Vice President Leni Robredo in connection with the election protest filed by the former before the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET).

With this, Atty. Romeo Macalintal said the non-appearance of Marcos and his spokesperson Atty. Vic Rodriguez in front of the Manila Cathedral where the supposed signing was held Tuesday morning only show that their claim of “massive electoral fraud” on several Secure Digital (SD) cards was baseless.

“The absence today of former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos and his spokesperson Atty. Vice Rodriguez is a clear admission and proof that their claimed “massive electoral fraud” on 13 SD cards retrieved from unused Vote Counting Machines (VCMs) that allegedly favored Vice President Leni Robredo and caused the defeat of Marcos was baseless, frivolous, self-serving and were intended as media stunt,” said the election lawyer.

Macalintal challenged the former lawmaker and his counsel to withdraw the electoral protest and for the latter to surrender his license as a lawyer to the Supreme Court (SC) if both failed to prove their claim but if they prove it, he will be the one to withdraw as counsel of Robredo and likewise surrender his license to the High Court.

“If Marcos and Rodriguez are sure and confident on their said accusation, they should be bold enough to sign this MOA which is self-explanatory. I reiterate, if these 13 SD cards would show the “massive electoral fraud” claimed by Marcos and Rodriguez, I will immediately withdraw as lead lawyer of VP Robredo and surrender to the SC my license as a lawyer,” he said.

Macalintal added, “On the other hand, if Marcos and Rodriguez failed to prove their claim, then Marcos should immediately withdraw his election protest against VP Robredo and Rodriguez would be the one to surrender to the SC his license as a lawyer.”

He believed that is the best way to prove “who is telling the truth on these 13 SD cards to prevent the proliferation of false, misleading and self-serving claim which are clearly aimed to condition the minds of the justices of the Presidential Electoral Tribunal and the electorate as to the true merits of the said election protest.”

At the same time, Macalintal noted that since Marcos is asking for a preliminary conference to be able to present evidence and witnesses, is an “admission that the 13 SD cards are not evidence of his claimed massive electoral fraud.”

“Marcos should first prove the massive electoral fraud from these 13 SD cards before the PET could set his case for preliminary conference and presentation of witnesses and evidence,” he said.

The lawyer added, “He should first make it clearer before the PET if he would stand and fall on the basis of his allegations of electoral frauds from these 13 SD cards before the PET could act on any other matter since he it was Marcos who raised this issue.”

In the May 2016 vice presidential race, Marcos only got 14,155,344 votes as against Robredo’s 14,418,817 votes.