Senatorial bets remind Duterte of SC decisions vs. Marcos's ill-gotten wealth

Several senatorial candidates reminded President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday of the Supreme Court's decisions declaring as "ill-gotten" the wealth that the late President Ferdinand Marcos has supposedly amassed during his tenure.

Human rights lawyer Chel Diokno pointed to the Supreme Court ruling in 2003 on the Swiss deposits of the Marcoses.

“Baka nakalimutan ni Pangulo iyong desisyon ng ating Supreme Court mismo noong 2003 na sinabi nila, ang perang iyan ay ill-gotten wealth. Hindi pera ng mga Marcos 'yan, pera ng bayan 'yan,” Diokno said during a senatorial forum in Makati.

“Maraming naging biktima ng human rights violation, maraming nakawan na talagang ang laki-laki. Mismong Supreme Court na ang nagsabi na nasa $600-plus million ang ill-gotten wealth. Isipin natin kung magkano yon in peso worth sa ngayong value,” he added.

Former Bayan Muna party-list representative Neri Colmenares stressed the same point, also citing that the government already enacted Republic Act 10368 or the Human Rights Victims Reparation & Recognition Act of 2013.

"With this law Marcos human rights victims are recognized and indemnified from the US$ 650 million ill-gotten wealth returned by Swiss banks," Colmenares said.

“Even the Supreme Court in Marcos vs Manglapus and many other decisions declared Marcos dictator and human rights violator and ordered the return of ill-gotten wealth," Colmenares added.

In a statement, Magdalo party-list Representative Gary Alejano said it was impossible that nobody stole billions of pesos from state coffers considering that loads of money were lost.

"May biktima, may nawalang bilyong pera, hindi pwedeng walang nagnakaw," Alejano said.

For her part, Marawi civic leader Samira Gutoc scored Duterte for supposedly favoring the Marcos family and revising history.

"Gaano po ba kababa ang tingin nyo sa talino at memorya ng bawat Pilipino at pilit niyo kaming kinukumbinsi na walang kasalanan ang mga Marcos sa nangyari noong dekada 70s at 80s?" Gutoc said.

Duterte, in a speech on Tuesday, claimed that it has not yet been proven that Marcos took away the said public funds.

"Until now you have not proven anything except to sequester and sell. Hindi mo nga sigurado kung talagang kay Marcos ba ‘yan," Duterte said. —LDF, GMA News