With petitions against the candidacy of Presidential aspirant Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. piling up, veteran lawyer and former solicitor general Estelito Mendoza has volunteered to serve as counsel of the former lawmaker in the petitions filed against the former before the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Mendoza will represent the son of late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. in responding to petitions questioning his presidential candidacy. He served as solicitor general under the former chief executive.
Marcos' spokesperson and chief of staff Vic Rodriguez, in an interview with CNN Philippines' The Source on Thursday, Nov. 18, said that Mendoza volunteered to serve as the counsel of the former senator.
The 91-year-old lawyer has successfully defended the cases of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Sen. Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr., and former Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile.
Rodriguez added that the former Ilocos Norte solon was granted a seven-day extension by Comelec to respond to the first petition filed on Nov. 2 seeking to cancel his candidacy for President.
Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez, however, said the request for extension remains pending and more petitions have been filed against Marcos.
The former Ilocos Norte governor was given a Nov. 16 deadline to submit his answer to the first petition which was raffled to Comelec's second division.
Marcos is also facing two other petitions: the petition-in-intervention by tax professionals and a petition for disqualification by martial law victims and rights advocates on Wednesday, Nov. 17.