THE narrow margin between him and Vice President Maria Leonor Robredo in the 2016 elections, as well as his coming in as close second to Sara Duterte-Carpio in a recent survey on possible frontrunners in the 2022 polls, are a signal to Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. that he enjoys a nationwide political base. This, according to his lawyer, fuels his decision to throw his hat once more into the ring next year, although his camp has not confirmed for what position.
In an interview with CNN Philippines, lawyer Vic Rodriguez insisted that the Supreme Court had dismissed only two of the three courses of action that the Marcos camp brought in its election protest against Robredo.
This, even as Rodriguez said the protest filed by Marcos is “not relevant anymore” in next year’s presidential elections.
Nonetheless, he did not categorically say whether Marcos is ceding the fight against Robredo altogether.
In the TV interview, Rodriguez explained that, “when we speak of election protest…in its strictest legal meaning it has…to acquire a legal meaning. Election protest pertains solely to manual recount and judicial revision….Surely, when you dismissed the entire election protest meaning the manual recount and judicial revision. [I]t follows that you have to dismiss the counter protest.”
“[W]e have two pending causes of action before the tribunal. One is the manual recount and judicial revision which is strictly election protest and the other one, the annulment, our third cause of action. The annulment of election results in the three provinces of Mindanao,” Rodriguez added.
He said Marcos has no plans to lay down the third “sword” in his election protest because “it has been established during the numerous hearings and decisions and deliberations of the court [that] the third cause of action is separate, distinct and can proceed independently from the manual recount and judicial revision.”
Meanwhile, Marcos has started preparing for the next elections, he said.
Rodriguez told CNN Philippines the Marcos camp’s focus has been on the 2022 elections since January 1.
This way before Associate Justice Marvic Leonen finished his ponencia on the protest and the magistrates voted on it. The high court ruled unanimously to dismiss the Marcos case against Robredo, the SC spokesman said on Tuesday.
In his engagements with media organizations, Rodriguez did not confirm if Marcos will seek the highest position of the land, which his late father and namesake held from 1965 to 1986.
Marcos filed his protest against Robredo in June 2016, alleging fraud in the VP race.
With the tight race between them, the former senator is confident his political base remains intact, said Rodriguez.
His hopes were bolstered by a Pulse Asia survey in November showing Marcos getting the
second-highest rank, next only to Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, his lawyer added.
A separate survey done by other pollsters in December also showed Marcos getting the second-highest number of votes from respondents.
After that survey, the daughter of President Duterte released a statement saying she is not interested in seeking the presidency, and asked polling firms not to include her name in succeeding surveys.
Robredo is widely expected to be fielded in 2022 by the Liberal Party (LP), which she heads. Hours after the SC ruling in her favor, Robredo had shrugged off queries on her presidential run next year, saying she would rather focus on urgent concerns in dealing with the Covid-19 crisis.
All nine LP candidates lost in the 2019 senatorial race, but LP leaders are confident 2022 will have a different outcome.
