(Eagle News) — Former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chair and former presidential adviser on political affairs Francis Tolentino has withdrawn his electoral protest against Senator Leila de Lima.
Tolentino, who landed 13th in the 2016 senatorial elections, filed his motion to withdraw before the Senate Electoral Tribunal on Jan. 19, after the SET denied his motion to suspend proceedings or to archive the protest, citing the impending campaign for the May elections.
Tolentino is running again for a seat in the Senate.
“In view of an impending rigorous national campaign, herein protestant will have to indulge himself into few weeks from now, being a senatorial candidate in the upcoming May 2019 elections for which his undivided attention for the same is indispensable, and considering the mentioned resolution, protestant decides it best to voluntarily withdraw his protest but without prejudice to his rights pertaining to the motion for return of payments which is yet to be resolved by this honorable tribunal and the return of any excess deposit made,” Tolentino said.
He noted the withdrawal, however, was “borne out of pure employment of practicality..”
“..And by no means (is) to be taken as a surrender of protestant’s cause in proving and exposing election fraud committed against his then candidacy and the the public interest in general,” he added.
