‘SOBRANG GARAPAL NAMAN NA IYAN!’

13 July 2017

A top-caliber but low-profile lawyer-political strategist has just sent this reaction to the OPEN-ENDED extension granted by the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) to Leni Robredo for completing the payment of her counter-protest against Bongbong Marcos:

“Sobrang garapal naman na iyan. Lahat ng klaseng LUWAG (emphasis mine) ibinibigay kay Leni kahit na hindi na dapat. Kay Bongbong, less than a week lang ang ibinigay na period para siya makabayad ng downpayment ng protest fee niya. Biyernes Santo pa ginawa ang deadline. Tapos ngayon, kay Leni, kahit verbal pa lang, isang hirit lang, approve agad ang PET.  Last year, Leni was late in submitting a document. PET rules provide that it should have been disregarded outright but still, the PET accepted it. Ano ba meron si Leni? Kung si Bongbong ang hindi nakabayad, would the PET be just as considerate?”

When I informed the lawyer that according to media reports, three appointees of Leni’s chief benefactor Noynoy Aquino were at the pre-trial (Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno, lead Justice Alfredo Caguioa and Justice Marvic Leonen, he replied: Oh, my God, kaya naman pala!”

Let me just add an excerpt from my blog yesterday: If Leni won’t pay INDEFINITELY, then she should only GET HER DOWNPAYMENT’S WORTH for her counter-protest. For example, she has NO RIGHT to demand the retrieval and collection of ALL the ballot boxes covered by her counter-protest. Only those that can be paid for by her downpayment. Same thing for whatever services or actions she will ask and the expenses these will entail. Shame on her if she will ask for more than what she has paid for. SHE HAS NO RIGHT TO, even if she’s the sitting vice-president. That is, if she has any shame left in her. 30