MANILA: POLITICS – Bongbong Marcos hit for questioning PET credibility

MANILA, Philippines — Some Liberal Party (LP) leaders have criticized former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for questioning the credibility of the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) by saying Supreme Court Associate Justice Benjamin Caguioa is biased in favor of Vice President Leni Robredo.

LP president Sen. Francis Pangilinan said it does not look good for Marcos to be questioning PET’s credibility just because it came out with a decision unfavorable to him. Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, who served as campaign manager of Robredo during the 2016 national elections, said it was unfair for Marcos to cast doubt on the integrity of the PET, composed of Supreme Court justices, when decisions do not go his way. “When PET gave decisions that favored him, he did not hear the Vice President complaining,” he added.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, also a party officer, advised Marcos to learn to accept the PET decisions, whether adverse or in his favor. ?“It’s part of our judicial process. Sometimes, we may get the short end of the stick, but that’s the way court processes go and as a former lawmaker, he should know better,” Drilon said. The LP senators recalled how in September, Marcos’ camp lauded the PET after it denied with finality the bid of Robredo to reverse its earlier ruling finding sufficiency in Marcos’ election protest.

This time around they noted that Marcos now wants to have the PET chairman replaced.