If I were Leni Robredo, I wouldn’t be reminding people of what happened back in 2016 when allegations of electoral fraud marred what was supposed to be an “important” national election. In arrogantly proclaiming that she handily beat rival candidate Bongbong Marcos for the vice presidency back then, old wounds have been opened including those to do with the persistent mystery surrounding the whereabouts of Andy Bautista who was Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Chairman at the time.
“Ako, it doesn’t make sense. Kung gusto namin siya ipa-disqualify dapat sana no’ng laban pa namin ng VP,” Robredo told reporters in a press conference in Negros Occidental on Friday.
“Saka kung ang purpose ng disqualification para maalis siya sa contest na ito, hindi naman kailangan. Naglaban na kami no’ng 2016, nanalo naman kami na walang ganyan,” she added.
Perhaps it might not have occurred to Robredo that her camp, the Liberal Party (LP), at the time were not as clued in on just how formidable an opponent they were up against — which is why a desperate stunt like disqualifying an opponent (such as what is being attempted today) was not in the cards early in the campaign. Indeed, many observers looked back at how desperation on the part of the Yellowtards kicked in late into the campaign as then candidate Rodrigo Duterte pulled far ahead of LP bet Mar Roxas at the eleventh hour.
With just hours to go and the presidency all but lost to Duterte, Robredo became the Hail Mary Pass that needed to deliver a score for the Yellowtards. Many observers are convinced that the designated wide receiver in those final hours of the election was the then COMELEC chair who, it seems, went on to deliver on his assignment paving the way for Robredo’s self-proclaimed “win”. As the story goes, that successful delivery came at a cost and so now, the mystery persists: Where is Andy Bautista?
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Did Robredo know what may have been going on behind the scenes back then? That too is a mystery. Just hours after the shocking statistical improbabilities that accompanied the VP count (a seeming “neck-and-neck race”) were picked up by keen watchers, Robredo joined the rest of her LP ilk in parroting what came across as a prepared script wrought in the midst of what looked like an orchestrated ruling out of any possibility of fraud. Never mind that authorities — presumably led by the COMELEC — are duty-bound to investigate all allegations. Never mind that there was no basis on such short notice to rule out the possibility of fraud. Never mind that Smartmatic personnel implicated in the allegations were mysteriously allowed to leave the Philippines.
Did Leni Robredo actually win the vice presidency in 2016? Is she the Philippines’ rightful VP today? All that remains debatable because the COMELEC had left many questions unresolved, had tainted evidence pertinent to the case, and may have been complicit in allowing Bautista who had, by then, become a person of interest in the case to leave the country. In short, the case remains open today as far as millions of Filipinos are concerned. Robredo may have been proclaimed VP by a Filipino judge, but so have many other top officials under similarly dubious circumstances in the past following unlawful spectacles commonly associated with the Yellowtard “people power” narrative: Cory Aquino proclaimed “president” after the 1986 EDSA coup d’etat, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo after the “EDSA II” lynching of Joseph “Erap” Estrada.
Anything can be made “legal” in the Philippines if a big enough mob of cherry-picked participants gives the thumbs-up and a Philippine judge can be suckered into being an accessory to the fraud that follows.
Aren’t we all glad Leni Robredo is around to remind us of these things?
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
People Power is a prime example that a democracy can be turned into mobocracy.
Well… Tha SC Electoral Yribunal have validated the recount not just once but 3 times bbm loses Leni’s vote even got higher.
Per CNN report on recount for 3 Pilot provinces:
Robredo’s lead grew by around 15,000 votes after a recount of ballots from the 5,415 clustered precincts in Camarines Sur, Iloilo, and Negros Oriental.
What does that prove? It shows that the automated smartmatic (aka Outsmartmatic) system is totally inaccurate. If that’s the margin of error we’re looking at on such a small scale; how much larger will it be at the national level?
Besides what use is a recount if the Ballots were preshaded/replaced by the Yellows at that time?
Theory: comelec in 2016 may have lowered the numbers in Leni’s bailiwick to make the cheating less obvious and bumped up her numbers elsewhere like in Mindanao. Why did BBM get zero votes in places where he had known supporters? Why 3million undervotes for VP?
Only the 2022 elections can bring closure to who really won the VP race back in 2016.
“Only the 2022 elections can bring closure to who really won the VP race back in 2016.”
No, the 2016 elections has long been settled and done with. There really is no reason to bring it up today because it is already irrelevant. BBM doesn’t care anymore. He complained about it, it was investigated and finally decided in the end. It is a non-issue today.
What’s important for him is now, the presidency, the main prize and not some nonsense thing that happened years ago.
It was so airtight that even the rabid BBM loyalists here, those who cannot move on and at the same time don’t have the evidence to prove their allegation, is having a hard time arguing with clarity. They resort to ad hominem when somebody tells them that the case is over.
Not a single one of them can lay out the facts why the case has to be revive and be made an issue in the coming elections. Puro kabalbalan ang isasagot para lang makalimot.
They are still mourning and crying on something that has already been dead for almost six years.
Kakaloka. ?
“…it was investigated and finally decided in the end. It is a non-issue today.”
Are you sure? I don’t think you are… it was never truthfully investigated, legally debated in the courtroom by the parties concerned nor even judicially decided. It was simply junked by those lazy and incompetent judges after sitting on the case for five long years.
The evidence is clear as day…
“The evidence is clear as day…”
True, it was clear that it was dismissed without merit.
Am sure? Of course, I’m sure. It was the Supreme Court who rendered the unanimous dismissal decision. Am I to deny that fact? Of course, there will be complaints against the decision but at some point it had to end.
While you showed a video to prove your point, let me show you a statement, not to prove my point, to prove the facts. Here it is,
On February 16, 2021, the PET unanimously dismissed Bongbong Marcos’ electoral protest against Vice President Leni Robredo. Media reports cited the reasons for the dismissal as: “failure to allege specific acts showing electoral fraud”; “allegations (which) were bare, laden with generic & repetitious allegations, no critical information as to time, place and manner of irregularities,” and “the absence of substantial recovery of votes in the 3 pilot provinces Marcos had chosen where Robredo actually gained additional votes with 1,510,718 against Marcos’ 204,512.”
Just to be clear, I have nothing to do with those facts. So, don’t attack me. ?
Well it is noted that the philippine judiciary is a bunch of self important snobs who think they are the spokes upon which the wheels of justice turn..which is why people give more credence to raffy tulfo, who will by the way easily win a senate seat in 2022.
People want swift decisions, not evidence and legal mumbo jumbo..small, simple cases, uncomplicated land disputes should be easily settled by a wise and benevolent barangay chieftain, without need for lawyers and a$$hole judges.
The risk of inaccuracy goes up as the numbers get larger/higher. Surely there’s a better way of doing this.
It wont matter because the pink widow will not even be relevant in 2022..
It will be manny pac who will put up a fight, handing out wads of cash.
In fact, if manny were smart, he should go around in cheap jesus robes(or at least faded white t shirt and cheap old jeans).not that ugly novo rich luis biton crap..he might stand a chance.
Why do feel like Manny will become another Joseph Estrada?
Because no one can resist a thousand pesos and 2 kilos of rice
“Did Leni Robredo actually win the vice presidency in 2016? Is she the Philippines’ rightful VP today?”
That’s a question that should have been asked a long, long time ago because it’s an ancient issue the answer to which has already been relegated to history.
But seriously, the case was settled, her election as VP legally cemented. She occupied the office, wore the title and performed the duties. It may be a controversial win because certain matters happened that should not have happened which colored her victory and, as expected, gave the losing side reasons to question the result of the elections.
I don’t think BBM, the losing candidate, will take it up as a campaign issue in the coming elections. Lumang tugtugin na. He lost the first round running as a spare tire. No crying over spilled milk. He has to focus on the second round, the last round and the most important. Does anyone really think BBM still cared about it?
Sorry, a VP is a mere stepping stone, an introduction to the biggest of them all: the presidency. That is the ONLY office BBM was targeting, salivating even, since the family came back from Hawaii. And if one knows history the debate is over.
No corny one liner please. ?
You will not like Victory Liner’s buses.
You have the corniest lines of them all. You speak of the 2016 election fraud as ancient, but refer to the Marcos period of history like you will forever own it. Tell us, how do you want to settle history fairly and squarely?
Oh, don’t bother with Juan Luna, he loves doing monologues.
@Bonifacio
2016 election fraud or you simply just cannot move on because you ended up on the losing side? Move along my friend because BBM is already way out there pursuing his dream while you’re still stuck to yesterday’s crap. You want to fight for him, fight in front. And don’t fight while daydreaming. ?
About ‘Marcos period of history’, tell me about it and I’ll tell you my version of it, on a personal level. Deal? ?
I don’t think I want to read some more of your incoherence. If you want to comment about it on a personal level, go ahead. You’ve already displayed so much of your thoughts here.
@bonifacio
Yeah, I understand. ?
The pink widow was only 5 years old when marcos declared martial law, she is a fake anti marcos activist as she was never a part of that generation.
Her narrative is fake, and painfully contrived..they should all take a cue from erap.that is what gets actual votes among the lower classes.
NEVER AGAIN EDSA!
Lugaw Robredo won by electoral fraud, done by the Aquino Cojuangco political axis…COMELEC Andres Bautista, did the election fraud , on the order of Aquino and Roxas.
Why would a COMELEC Chairman, run to the U.S., if he is not afraid to what he had done. If Bong Bong Marcos will win the Presidency; there will be price to pay for these people. Aquino and Roxas ordered the cheating…so, watch out for the Aquino Cojuangco political axis, on the next election…they may order election fraud again…
“If Bong Bong Marcos will win the Presidency; there will be price to pay for these people.”
Oh, my god! When the heart is full of hate the appetite for vengeance is unlimited. Just because BBM lost people will pay a price for it? That’s the mission of the BBM government? ?
It’s just pure evil. ?
I bet you would love anarchic state. There’s no hope. XD
It looks like it is not really Leni posing as a major problem to BBM’s dream to become president, it’s those people who filed a petition to disqualify him for running for public office for being a convicted criminal.
A trial court convicted BBM of tax evasion in 1995 for failing to file his income tax returns from 1982 to 1985. The conviction was upheld by the Court of Appeals in 1997.
On the flipside, it was alleged by the Marcos camp that retired SC justice Antonio Carpio is maneuvering the scheme to disqualify BBM.
Nampucha, nagkanda-loko-loko na! ?
The Supreme Court has already ruled that there’s no tax evasion case against BBM! But if you haven’t moved on yet and still insist on it, you’re free to do so. You can keep fooling yourself!
@JT
Why is it always about me? I expound on issues by giving my opinion and then add some info that I think relevant to the discussion. I was not the one who filed the petition I was just narrating the facts. We’re supposed to be sharing and discussing issues here and not blaming and make silly and childish tantrums. We should not be balat sibuyas.
I know where you’re coming from and I know you’re afraid to engage. So what can say but…
Thank you. ?
“Facts” that is called Trust Me Bro. 😀
You know what ‘afraid to engage’ is like? How about filing a lame a** petition against an opponent?
So why did Leni have to change her political color? Is she evading her conviction as a despised Dilawan?