The camp of former senator and presidential aspirant Bongbong Marcos slammed the new disqualification case against him calling it mere political gimmicks.
This come as Marcos missed the deadline to submit his response to the petition against his candidacy. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) rules mandate that the deadline for it is “non-extendible”.
The son of the late dictator is currently facing three petitions before the Comelec to cancel or remove him from the presidential race.
Comelec spokesman James Jimenez called out the presidential aspirant’s camp for claiming that the second division already granted their motion for extension for 7 days.
“Sabi sila nang sabi wala naman silang karapatan magsabi nyan. The parties cannot predict when the division will rule. PR lang nila yan. Ang pagbabatayan natin kung naglabas na ang division and so far wala pang nilalabas,” Jimenez said in a press briefing.
Marcos spokesperson, Atty. Vic Rodriguez, said in a statement: “These are cheap political gimmicks from the same people who do not want the country to move ahead and get out of the pandemic.”
“They refuse to elevate political discourse and instead resort to dirty campaigning, character assassination, and mudslinging,” he added.
Rodriguez said that the Comelec has no power to review, nullify or modify the decisions of the Court of Appeals.
Petitioners are accusing Marcos of false representation when he declared that he has no conviction when he filed his candidacy.
“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 added.
Marcos was convicted by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court in 1995 for failure to file income tax returns and pay income taxes from 1982 to 1985.
The Court of Appeals upheld the conviction.
