Presidential aspirant and Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) standard-bearer Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. on Tuesday, Nov. 16, called the petition against his candidacy as nothing but trash.
“All pieces of evidence and legal arguments in our hands clearly show that the petition against my candidacy is nothing but trash,” said Marcos, who dispelled speculations on a possible disqualification.
“Kaya nananawagan ako sa aking supporters at sa buong sambayanan na panatilihin natin ang pananalig na hindi magtatagumpay ang baluktot na hangarin laban sa aking pagtakbo, at patuloy nating ipaglaban ang karapatan ng mamamayan para sa malayang pagpili ng mga napupusuang nilang kandidato sa darating na halalan.(That's why I'm calling for all my supporters and all the people to keep the faith that this twisted desire against my candidacy will not succeed. We must continue to fight for the right of the people to choose the prospective candidate they want in the coming election)," Marcos said. He Marcos issued the statement to assure his supporters that his fight to serve the Filipino people will get past any misleading propaganda.
“Kahit alam ko na ang petisyon ng mga taong ayaw umusad ang bansa sa pag-asenso ay sadyang walang kwenta, pinaghahandaan pa rin ito ng aming mga abogado (Although I know that the petition of those who don't want the country to progress are worthless, my lawyers are still ready for it),” said the former lawmaker, who currently leads in the latest presidential preference surveys.
“I’ve personally seen the documents for our defense and I’ve personally discussed them with our legal team who, along with some reputable and respectable legal experts, concluded without doubt that the petition to delist my name from the roster of applicants for the presidency is without merit and has no legal basis.” The former Ilocos Norte governor was referring to legal views given by Ateneo law expert Alberto Agra and UST faculty of law dean Nilo Divina who both think that the petition has no basis in fact and in law.
“The attempt to stop Marcos, Jr. from joining the 2022 presidential race is likely to fail,” said Divina. “The petition is bound to collapse once evaluated by the Comelec (Commission on Elections) because it appears to be defective in form and offers insufficient legal basis to obtain its desired judgment.” Agra, a former Department of Justice secretary, said in a radio interview that “there is no legal ground to cancel the COC (certificate of candidacy) of Marcos, Jr.” The Ateneo law professor added that the “petition has no legal basis and is unlikely to move forward.” “It was clearly stated in the Omnibus Election Code that Marcos, Jr. is qualified to run for president because he had no shortcomings in his COC submission as alleged by the petitioners,” Agra clarified. (Melvin Sarangay)