“Marcos’ supporters are prepared to protest to defend their candidate.”
There was a time when protest rallies were the exclusive domain of the Left—until the Oligarch-led Yellows collaborated with them to oust the late Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.
Hence, it’s rather ironic that the supporters of the son of the man whom they forced into exile more than 35 years ago would be resorting to the same form of action to warn them against their insistence to disqualify their presidential bet – Partido Federal ng Pilipinas standard-bearer, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. (Even if the petitions for disqualification filed against BBM are seen by legal experts to be groundless.)
The other day, BBM’s supporters held a protest rally in front of the Commission on Election Central Visayas office in Cebu City to denounce the petitions for cancellation of the Certificate of Candidacy raised against the former senator.
This was a day after the second petition for disqualification was filed against Marcos. The first petition was filed last November 2. Both petitions cite the same ground – failure to file an income tax return.
The marchers said they were representing various groups opposed to the “dirty tactics being utilized by some desperate camps who are afraid that a Marcos presidency will bring out the true potential of the nation.”
The group, who identified themselves as members of the “Cebuanos Kontra DQ,” gathered at Plaza Independencia then marched to the Comelec office, where they held a small program and lit red candles to symbolize their resentment.
“The purpose of this gathering is to voice our resistance to the disqualification cases being lodged against BBM. We also wanted a fair hearing by the Comelec and not settle this by technicality. The voice of the sovereign people must not be muted and thwarted,” according to former Cebu City Councilor Erik Espina.
Espina said he hopes that their indignation protest will be replicated in other provinces and cities in time for the Comelec hearing on Nov. 26.
Marcos’ Chief of Staff, lawyer Vic Rodriguez, branded the petitions as “nuisance and part of cheap political gimmicks from the same group of people who do not want the country to move ahead and get out of the pandemic.”
“They refuse to elevate the level of political discourse, getting stuck to dirty campaigning, character assassination, and mudslinging,” he said.
Rodriguez emphasized that the Comelec has no jurisdiction to review, amend, modify or nullify Decisions of the Court of Appeals.
“Elections are fought and won on Election Day through the ballots, and surveys or voters’ test polls are the gauge of the candidates’ standing and a guide to win the electorate,” he said.
The funny thing is, even election lawyer Emil Marañon, who served as one of the counsels for the presidential candidates these petitioners are supporting – Leni Robredo — says the petitioners made a “fatal mistake” when they combined appeals for Marcos’ disqualification and for the cancellation of his CoC, which are two different remedies.
Marañon explained that according to Comelec rules, a petition to deny due course or to cancel a COC is based on the claim that an aspirant made false statements therein. On the other hand, disqualification covers, among others, individuals “who committed any act declared by law to be grounds for disqualification,” including a crime involving moral turpitude.
“Combining petitions to deny due course and disqualification in one petition is a ground for summary dismissal,” Marañon, adding that the period to file petitions to deny or cancel a COC already lapsed last Nov. 1.
While I believe what the legal experts say on the disqualification cases against BBM, we expect the attacks against the former senator to intensify in the coming days as no less than President Rodrigo Duterte had joined the fray.
Believing he has the people’s support on his war against insurgency and illegal drugs, he accused BBM of being pro-communist early this week and insinuated he was into cocaine the other day, expecting the people to rally behind him. Unfortunately for him, his pronouncement gained no traction and he ended up short of being a laughingstock.
The moves of BBM’s opponents in fact, have emboldened his supporters to take their form of support to a higher level. From simple motorcades and caravans, they are now organizing their own protest actions, sending a stern warning to everyone who would try to derail their quest for the presidency of their beloved bet through the process mandated by the Constitution.
That is, if their opponents insist on disqualifying him through whatever means, they are prepared to slug it out tooth and nail. Give them a dose of their own medicine.