Vice President Leni Robredo did not file a protest at the Supreme Court against presumptive winner Ferdinand Marcos Jr., contrary to a circulating video falsely saying she did.
A YouTube video posted by PH Breaking News on May 19 falsely claimed that Robredo asked the high tribunal to block Marcos from assuming office.
At 0:16 mark, the video showed the animated text:
Robredo pumunta sa Supreme Court para patalsikin agad sa pwesto si BBM? Galawang bobo talaga si Leni at Kiko. Panoorin natin ang buong balita (Robredo went to the Supreme Court to overthrow BBM in power. Leni and Kiko's action are stupid. Watch the whole news)!
Marcos goes by the nickname BBM while Sen. Francis Pangilinan, Robredo’s running mate in the May 9 elections, is popularly called Kiko.
On May 17, martial law survivors filed a petition at the high court seeking a temporary restraining order to stop Congress from canvassing the votes for the presidential races where Marcos is leading.
The petitioners, represented by lawyer Theodore Te, said Marcos' candidacy should be canceled and declared void ab initio because he did not satisfy the election eligibility requirements due to his 1995 tax evasion case.
Robredo is not among the petitioners.The petitioners are Fr. Christian B. Buenfade, Fides M. Lim, Ma. Edliza P. Hernandez, Celia Lagman Sevilla, Roland C. Vibal and Josephine Lascano.
The Commission on Elections en banc in a decision on May 11 affirmed the January ruling of its second division that Marcos’ “failure to file income tax return is not tax evasion” and “not a crime involving moral turpitude.”
Robredo is also not involved in the disqualification cases against Marcos filed at the Comelec.
The caption of the YouTube video also falsely implied that President Rodrigo Duterte had told Robredo to let Marcos serve.
The caption reads:
JUST IN : PRES DUTERTE GINULAT SI LENI ROBREDO ( President Duterte surprised Leni Robredo)! "YOU CANNOT IMPEACH OR OUST BBM, LET HIM SERVE!
Since the elections, no such statement has been made by Duterte based on the transcripts of his speeches on the Presidential Communications Operations Office website. No news organization has reported the quote.
The statement has also been attributed to former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque in a different YouTube video posted by PH Breaking News on May 21.
The caption reads:
JUST IN : HARRY ROQUE GINULAT SI LENI ROBREDO (Harry Roque surprised Leni Robredo)! "YOU CANNOT OUST BBM, LET HIM SERVE AS PRESIDENT
Nowhere in the entire video can Roque’s supposed quote be found. He merely said the petition at the Supreme Court would unlikely prosper given the overwhelming number of votes for Marcos.
The high court on May 19 required Marcos, the Senate and House of Representatives to comment on the petition.
The video reached 203, 227 views and 1,242 comments on YouTube, as of writing. It was also posted at globalbalitaph.blogspot.com and shared by the following Facebook Pages: Rodante Marcoleta for Senator and The Big 5 Supporters - Marcoleta, Defensor, Barzaga, Remulla & Bautista. (KC)