Palace vows return of Marcos wealth will adhere to laws

The return of Marcos' ill-gotten wealth through the Duterte administration will comply with existing laws, Malacañang said on Friday.

The administration made the remark after certain sectors sought transparency in the talks between the government and the Marcos family as regards the loot.

Duterte in a speech earlier this week bared that an emissary told him that the Marcoses were willing to return the ill-gotten wealth to the country.

“The President is studying how best to proceed in a manner that will advance the nation's interest and comply with the law,” presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement.

“As this matter becomes clearer, we will advise what further action will be taken to finally obtain justice,” he added.

The day before, Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos said her family trusted Duterte to end the decades-long cases against them.

But she also said that negotiations between the government and her family are yet to begin.

However, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III was quoted saying that returning the hidden wealth to the government should not absolve them of their cases.

He also cautioned the government against having strings attached.

Karapatan on Friday also issued a statement urging the public to be “vigilant against any compromise agreement of the Duterte administration with the Marcoses that enables their getting a free pass for all their crimes and their continuing political rehabilitation.”

“Almost all administrations have worked in cahoots with the Marcoses to absolve them of their grave crimes against the people, and to line up their pockets with a few millions,” Karapatan Deputy Secretary General Roneo Clamor said.

"With Duterte’s facilitation of the political rehabilitation of the Marcoses, through the hero’s burial of dictator Ferdinand Marcos and political horsetrading with the Marcos family, it is very important that the Filipino people, especially the martial law victims and their families, keep a close watch on what transpires between the Duterte administration and the Marcoses,” he added.

Samahan ng Ex-detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto on August 30 urged Duterte to pursue every centavo of the Marcos’ ill-gotten wealth and keep the cases against them.

“But for us, martial law victims, this does not mean absolution from their crimes of plunder, human rights violations and massive corruption,” SELDA spokesperson Danilo dela Fuente said.

“The Marcoses should be in jail for their crimes against the Filipino people and for the destruction and plunder of the economy they have committed for 21 years. They should not go scot-free. The political accommodation and rehabilitation by the Duterte government is unacceptable,” he added.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, however, pointed out that Duterte has the power to make compromises or any agreement with the Marcos family.

The Justice chief said President Rodrigo Duterte, who disclosed the offer from a supposed representative of the Marcoses, had the power to enter into compromise deals.

"I’m sure dapat pag-isipan husto 'yan. Ano ba kakailanganin? Basta magagawa niya
(President) 'yan under the framework of the law," Aguirre said.

"He has the power to make compromises or any agreement with the Marcoses but I believe this has been addressed by the past administrations, kaya siguro ‘pag may bagong agreement dapat may enabling law or administrative law to be issued by the President himself,” he added.

During his two-decade rule that started in 1965, former President Ferdinand Marcos allegedly managed to illegally amass an estimated $5 billion to $10 billion from government coffers.

His family allegedly stashed these away in secret local and offshore accounts, or hid them in dummy foundations as well as with cronies. —NB/KVD, GMA News