Palace: Efforts to recover ill-gotten wealth of Marcoses continue

Malacañang on Wednesday assured the public that government efforts to recover the ill-gotten wealth of the late former President Ferdinand Marcos and his family will continue.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. issued the statement after Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos, a daughter of the late strongman, on Tuesday urged her family’s critics to move on and for Filipinos to unite for the sake of the country.

“As far as we are concerned, the Duterte administration is willing to work with all groups for the benefit of the people,” Roque said.

“The President has opened the doors of his government to everyone, regardless of affiliation and ideology, in order to unite the country and bring us greater progress," he added.

Roque said efforts to recover any ill-gotten wealth continue through the Philippine Commission on Good Government (PCGG) and that human rights victims were being given compensation through the Human Rights Victims’ Claims Board (HRVCB). 

“The government will continue to find ways and means to effect closure for all victims of abuses that occurred during that period of Martial Law,” he said.

Since its creation shortly after Marcos was ousted in 1986, the PCGG has succeeded in recovering $3.6 billion or P170 billion of the estimated $10 billion of Marcos ill-gotten wealth.

The recovered funds have been used to support the government’s Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program and reparation of Martial Law victims.

Marcos died while on exile in Hawaii in 1989. — MDM, GMA News