Panganiban Says Bongbong Marcos Should Be The One To Pay The P2 Billion To Smartmatic

Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban says Bongbong Marcos should pay the P2 billion to Smartmatic.

Former Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban said that Bongbong Marcos should be the one to pay P2 billion to Smartmatic for the VCMs.

Panganiban announced that the former senator Bongbong Marcos should be the one to pay P2 billion to Smartmatic and not the government.

The tension arises after the Election technology provider Smartmatic released a questioned for the delayed submission of vote counting machines (VCM) that was used in the May elections.

Panganiban Says Marcos Should Pay The P2 billion, Not The Gov't
Panganiban Says Marcos Should Pay The P2 billion, Not The Gov’t

Because of this, the Smartmatic is charging the Commission on Elections (Comelec) P2 billion. As the Technology provider was expecting the poll body should have made a “physical” turnover of the machines by Dec. 1.

The Comelec confirmed that they failed to return the VCMs on time due to the protest filed by losing vice presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

In a recent news report of the Politics.com, former Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban broke his silence and announced that Bongbong Marcos should be the one to pay P2 billion charges filed by the Smartmatic.

In his Inquirer column on Sunday, December 18, 2016, Panganiban dissected the details of Marcos’s poll protest.

“In a resolution dated Dec. 6, 2016, the PET noted that the turnover to the Comelec of the 97,366 leased VCMs subject of the protest may impel the Comelec to pay Smartmatic, the owner of the VCMs, ‘a total of P2,078,304,225.76,” Panganiban wrote.

“Why the Comelec would have to pay this staggering amount is beyond me. I think Marcos should pay it,” he added.

As Marcos submit a petition claiming that there was “cheating” in 39,221 clustered precincts involving 97,366 VCMs in 25 provinces and five cities.

Panganiban shared that the Supreme Court is handling the petition of Marcos that had issued a preliminary precautionary order requiring the Comelec to collect, preserve and safeguard the devices and documents used in the protested precincts, including the VCMs, the automated ballots and the secure data cards (SD cards).

Marcos was defeated by only 260,000 votes against the former Camarines Sur congresswoman, now the Vice president of the Philippines, Leni Robredo the last May elections.

Furthermore, Panganiban explained that losing vice presidential candidate doesn’t even need the VCMs if what he’s gunning for is a recount.

“Feeding the ballots into these machines would be impractical and time-consuming because of their exposure to dust, water and the like while they were kept in the warehouses,” he said.

Panganiban explained to his Inquirer column that Bongbong Marcos should be the one to pay P2 billion to Smartmatic and not the government.

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