Marcos on estate tax issue: Open the case and let us argue it

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. wants to reopen the case in connection with the estate tax being collected from the Marcos family which in 1991 was worth over P23 billion.

According to Mariz Umali's report on "24 Oras", Marcos said they didn't have the opportunity to answer the case that's why this should again be opened and be resolved.

“Open the case and let us argue with it. So that all of the things that we should have been able to say in 1987, ’88, ’89 that we were not able to say,” Marcos said in an interview with TV host Toni Gonzaga.

“What did you want to say noong ’86, ’87, ’88, ’89?” Gonzaga asked.

“Iisa-isahin namin talaga ‘yung sinasabi nilang property kasi hindi maliwanag ang pag-aari ng mga property na sinasabi amin. Sinasabi namin hindi amin ‘yan. Huwag niyo kami tina-tax diyan,” Marcos said.

The President said that his family did not have the chance to answer the case.

He said that they could not present an argument because they were in the United States during that time, adding that the case should be reopened and to be solved.

“Well, we are actually encouraging that this finally be resolved because I don’t want to make a legal opinion for which I am not qualified. But rather to say that in our — we were never allowed to argue because when this case came out, we were all in the United States,” Marcos said.

“So when it was the time for us to answer, we had no chance to answer because we were nakakulong in Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii,” he added.

Marcos said that he also signed a quit claim several times to prove that they had nothing to do with those properties.

“Paano ho sila nag-come up nung P203 billion na figure?” Gonzaga asked.

“Hindi ko alam.  Basta’t pinagsama-sama lang nila kung ano-anong property. Eh ‘yung karamihan doon, hindi talaga — wala kaming kinalaman doon,” Marcos said.

“In fact, pumirma na ako, ilang beses na akong pumirma ng quit claim na tinatawag. Kung talagang gusto niyo, kunin niyo. Hindi amin ‘yan eh,” he added.

In 1986, the Marcos family left the Philippines for Hawaii after the EDSA People Power Revolution.

Late former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr. passed away in Hawaii in 1989.

This led to the creation of a Special Tax Audit Team to assess tax liabilities and obligations of the late former president.

In 1991, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) issued a deficiency estate tax assessment that reached over P20 billion at that time. In October of that same year, the younger Marcos returned to the Philippines.

However, he filed a petition in the Court of Appeals (CA) in 1993 but did not agree with the decision that came out in 1994.

He then appealed the case to the Supreme Court in 1995 but the High Court dismissed it in 1997.

Among the arguments of the Marcos family was that they were not given due process, saying that they were not given the opportunity to question the Notices of Levy.

The SC, however, said that the notices about the deficiency estate tax assessment were sent to Marcos family several times after they returned to the Philippines.

According to the High Court’s decision, the Marcos family did not do anything to question these assessments.

The SC’s decision became final and executory in 1999. It means it can no longer be appealed.

Asked for a statement, the High Court said it would read first the President’s statement on the issue.

GMA News also sought comment from the BIR but it has yet to respond as of posting time. —Richa Noriega/NB, GMA News