PET Rejects 'Piso Para sa Laban ni Leni' Donations as Support to Help VP Robredo Pay Counter Protest Fee

The Supreme Court (SC), sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), rejected the 'Piso Para sa Laban ni Leni,' a donation campaign of the supporters of Vice President Leni Robredo to help her pay the remaining balance of P7.449 million of her counter protest against former Senator Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos in the May 2016 elections.



"The PET has denied our "Urgent Motion for Leave to File and Admit Petition in Intervention. Our petition sought permission from the PET to intervene in the counter protest of Vice President Leni Robredo to the protest filed by the defeated Bongbong Marcos." A statement reads at Piso Para sa Laban ni Leni Facebook page on Thursday, August 10.

"With the denial of our petition, we will stop accepting contributions by Monday, August 14, 2017, to give leeway to contributions which may still be in transit as of today, August 10, when this announcement is being made." It added, noting that the donations have already reached P6.5 million, and said that it came from its 25,000 supporters nationwide.

"We cannot just accept the decision of the PET and ignore the passion with which the public joined this crusade. For this reason, we are availing of the remedies granted by law and will be filing a motion for reconsideration within the period allowed," Atty. Pingki Bernabe, the group’s legal counsel, was quoted in a statement on the same day.

Apparently, PET's decision not to accept the donations via Piso Para sa Laban ni Leni is believed to be based on Presidential Decree No. 46, which prohibits public officials from receiving gifts or any other valuable thing on any occasion when the gift is given because of an official's position, regardless of whether or not the gift is given for past favors.



It can be recalled last March 21, PET ordered the camps of Bongbong Marcos and VP Leni Robredo to pay protest fee of P66.2 million and P15.43 million, respectively. Marcos paid an intial amount of P36 million on April 17, and the remaining P30 million on July 11. On the other hand, VP Robredo has already paid the initial amount of P8 million on May 2.

Contributed by Renato Pasayao