The camp of presidential aspirant Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. on Wednesday called the petition to disqualify his candidacy as "propaganda."
In an interview with dzRH's Damdaming Bayan, Marcos' spokesman Atty. Vic Rodriguez said they will respond once they receive the official copy of the complaint filed before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday.
"We will refrain from commenting. Obvious naman na propaganda pero hindi kami makapagkomento kasi hindi pa namin nakukuha ang kopya [It's obviously a propaganda but we can't make comments because we haven't received the copy yet]," Rodriguez said.
"Our camp does not engage in gutter politics," he added.
Among the petitioners are Fr. Christian Buenafe, co-chairperson of the Task Force Detainees of the Philippines; Fides Lim, board chairperson of political prisoners' group KAPATID; and Ma. Edeliza Hernandez, executive director of the Medical Action Group.
When asked if their camp knows anyone of the complainant, Rodriguez said no. He then emphasized that the upcoming national elections should focus on the future, not the past.
"We have answered the matter many, many times. this election is not about the past, but the future. Let's focus on nation-building," he stated.
In their 57-page petition, the groups comprising of human rights and health rights advocates and political detainees said the late dictator's son and namesake is not qualified to run for public office "as he is, plainly, a convicted criminal."
In July 1995, Marcos was convicted by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 15 for his failure to file income tax returns and pay income taxes from 1982 to 1985. He was then sentenced to serve a total of seven years in prison and ordered to pay a fine for several counts of violation of the National Internal Revenue Code (NRIC).
He appealed to the Court of Appeals (CA), which ruled on October 31, 1997, to uphold the conviction but modified the penalty by deleting the prison term and merely imposing a fine.
However, according to the group, the crime that Marcos did "involves moral turpitude, thereby disqualifying him under the Omnibus Election Code to be a candidate and to hold any public office."
They also noted that Marcos' COC contains "multiple false material representations," one of which when he declared under oath that he has never been found liable of any offense.
“Having been convicted by final judgment of a violation of the National Internal Revenue Code, Marcos is perpetually disqualified from holding any public office, to vote and to participate in any election as mandated under the NIRC,” the petitioners stated.
The group further contended that the Comelec has sufficient grounds to disqualify Marcos, as his "false assertion" under oath was made "with the deliberate intent to mislead, misinform, and deceive the electorate."
