MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Leni Robredo paid the P8-million initial cash deposit being required by the Supreme Court to cover the cost of the vote recount for her counter electoral protest against former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
In a statement, Robredo’s legal adviser, Barry Gutierrez, said the Vice President had paid the fee Tuesday morning, May 2, at the Supreme Court in Manila.
He said the P8 million came from Robredo’s personal savings and loans from the relatives of her late husband Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo namely Vicente Hao Chin, Pablito Chua, and Rafael Bundoc.
Gutierrez said that unlike Marcos, Robredo didn’t have much money but she was ready to go deep in debt to stop her vice presidential rival from taking away the post that was entrusted to her by Filipinos.
“Hindi gaya ng aming kalaban, wala pong ganoong kalaking pera si VP Leni ngunit handa siyang magkabaun-baon sa utang, mapigil lang ang tangkang nakawin ang puwesto na ipinagkatiwala sa kanya ng taumbayan.”
Gutierrez added that Robredo’s camp didn’t have a history of stealing.
“Wala kaming kasaysayan sa pagnanakaw.”
“Masasabi rin ba ito ng aming katunggali [Can our opponent say the same]?” Guteirrez added.
On Friday, April 28, Robredo’s lawyer Romulo Macalintal said his client was having a big problem and that Marcos was correct in saying that his rival had no money to defend her 2016 poll victory.
“Malaki ang problema ni Vice President Robredo…Tama si Mr. Marcos, walang pera ang kanyang kalaban,” said Macalintal.
Robredo is required by the SC sitting as Presidential Electoral Tribunal to shell out a total P15.7 million to retrieve poll materials for her election protest against Marcos, covering the recount of election returns from 31,278 precincts.
Marcos, meanwhile, was ordered to pay a total of P66.2 million for the recount of votes in 132,446 precincts for his poll protest case against Robredo.
Marcos had already paid the first installment worth P36 million, which he said was shouldered by 40 friends and supporters mostly composed of businessmen, bigwigs in politics, and long-time allies of the former senator and his family.
