Robredo to pursue recovery of Marcos ill-gotten wealth

Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday said she would ensure the return of the Marcos family's ill-gotten wealth, adding that the theft had impoverished Filipinos.

"So 'yung akin, tututukan yun ng pamahalaan hindi dahil kalaban ko sila pero tututukan kasi kailangan nating mabawi. Kailangang mabawi yung nakaw na yaman," said presidential aspirant Robredo during a radio interview when asked about some of the remaining undiscovered ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses. She will also be facing former Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. in Eleksyon 2022.

(In my view, the government should focus on this, not because they are my opponent, but because we need to recover this wealth. We need to recover what they stole.)

"Sa panahon na ang daming Pilipino naghihirap, nagpapakasasa sila sa magandang buhay. Tingin natin hindi 'yun justified e," she added.

(As Filipinos suffer from poverty, the Marcoses are living indulgently. I don't think that is justified.)

Robredo stressed that there were records to prove the ill-gotten wealth of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.'s family.

"Kumpleto ang datos, hindi po ito haka haka. May mga desisyon ang Supreme Court. Mayroong mga conviction, in fact, marami na tayong nabawing nanakaw na yaman pero hindi pa lahat. At tututukan natin, sisiguraduhin natin na mabawi natin 'yun," said Robredo.

(There is complete data on this, this isn't fake. There are decisions from the Supreme Court. There are already convictions. In fact we have yet to fully recover the stolen wealth. And we will make sure to retrieve this stolen wealth.)

Robredo was meanwhile skeptical over Marcos Jr.'s campaign promise that the Marcoses would uplift Filipinos' lives next year.

"Ang malungkot dito... nililinlang. Akala ng iba kapag ito binoto natin ito magsasalba sa atin. Pero tingnan yung records ito ang dahilan kung bakit tayo naghihirap e?" she said.

(What's disheartening is that some people think that if we vote for the Marcoses, they will save us from our problems. But if we look at their record, their family is the reason why we are poor.)

In 2019, the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) said it recovered P172 billion in ill-gotten wealth from the Marcos family. The PCGG is the government body tasked to "recover the ill-gotten wealth accumulated by the former President Ferdinand Marcos, his immediate family, relatives, subordinates and close associates whether located in the Philippines or abroad."

A Sandiganbayan decision dated September 28, 2021 also ordered Royal Traders Holding Company, Incorporated (RTHCI) to pay the Philippine government at least P367 million, which was part of Marcos' stolen wealth.

The Marcos camp has yet to reply after GMA News Online sought comment from their family and representatives regarding Robredo's statements.

Beating the ‘Solid North’

To beat Marcos Jr.'s "Solid North" voting bloc, Robredo said she needed to garner more than 70% of the votes from the Bicol Region.

She said the Bicol Region, which has a larger population than the Ilocos Region, secured her victory in the 2016 vice presidential polls.

"Hopefully, mas mataas ang 70% sa akin kasi ako na lang ang Bikolano... Malaking bagay sa pagkapanalo ko nu'ng 2016 yung boto ko sa Bicol," Robredo said.

(I hope it would be higher than 70% because I am the lone Bikolano candidate. Bicol helped me win in 2016.)

"'Yung Bicol kapag all out sa akin, malaking bagay yung pagtapat sa Solid North," she added.

(If they are all out for me, it will be a big advantage against the so-called Solid North.) — DVM, GMA News