Robredo to Marcos Jr.: No reconciliation without justice

Vice President Leni Robredo said Wednesday that reconciliation with former Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. is far-fetched unless there is recognition for his family's past misdeeds and justice to the victims.

Robredo, a presidential aspirant, made the response when asked if there is a chance to reconcile or unify with Marcos, son of the late dictator president Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. who is also running for president in the 2022 elections.

"Nakabase kasi 'yan sa justice. Meron pa siyang hindi pinapanagutan na ginawa. Mahirap makipagkasundo kung walang pagtanggap, hindi nagbabayad," Robredo said during the DZRH-The Manila Times interview.

(Reconciliation is based on justice. He has yet to account for past deeds. It is difficult to reconcile when there is no recognition of fault, evasion of liability.)

"Kung basta na lang tinanggap iyong ganun dahil sa unification, ano ang mensahe na binibigay natin? Na okay lang ang abuso? Okay lang ang corruption? Okay lang na convicted of a crime at hindi pa napapanagutan ang conviction tapos inooffer mo ulit ang sarili mo?," Robredo pointed out.

(If you are going to accept things as they are for the sake of unification, what is the message that we are sending here? That we are okay with abuses? That we are okay with corruption? We are okay with a conviction and still getting to run for public office?.)

Robredo said that forgiving the Marcoses is not for her to decide alone.

"Ako, very forgiving akong tao. Pero hindi ito [usapin na] ako lang. Bansa natin ang nakataya," she added.

(I am a very forgiving person but this is not about me. This is about our country.)

In October 2021, Marcos said he has nothing to apologize for the human rights violations, including torture and murder, during the Martial law regime of his dictator father. 

The Marcos scion argued that  he cannot make an apology for a "general accusation."

But back in 2013, the Marcos Compensation Law was enacted.  It provides for financial compensation of the survivors of torture and human rights violations during the Martial Law era using the late dictator's and his family P10 billion in ill-gotten wealth, retrieved by the Philippine government from Swiss banks. 

In 2003, the Supreme Court also ruled with finality that the 10,000 human rights victims during Marcos’ martial law regime were entitled to this compensation from Marcos' $10 billion Swiss bank deposits, which the ruling also deemed to be ill-gotten.

The Presidential Commission on Good Government has also recovered P171 billion worth of ill-gotten assets of the Marcos family so far and is still trying to recover P125 billion more.

Marcos is facing petitions seeking his disqualification, if not cancellation of his candidacy for president in 2022 polls, due to his four counts of Court of Appeals conviction of violating Tax Code. The petitions alleged that he failed to file Income Tax Return as public official in years 1982 to 1985.

The Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 105 has told GMA News that it has no record of former Senator Marcos paying taxes and penalties in connection with his failure to file tax returns between 1982 and 1985. 

Marcos' camp, however, refuted the allegation and presented a certification from the Bureau of Internal Revenue stating he has paid his tax deficiencies and fines.

The document, signed by Arsenio Tomeldan of the Collection Section of BIR Region No.7B-East NCR of Revenue District Office No.42-San Juan, indicated that Marcos paid at the Land Bank of the Philippines the amount which covered the computation of deficiency income taxes and fines covering the taxable years for 1982, 1983, 1984, and 1985.—LDF, GMA News