Duterte claims Marcos lives simply, casts doubt on ill-gotten wealth

Months after calling him "a weak leader" and "a spoiled child", President Rodrigo Duterte a few days before Eleksyon 2022 claimed presidential candidate former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had no money and lived simply.

In an interview with Pastor Apollo Quiboloy on SMNI on Friday, Duterte claimed that the Philippine government through the years failed to find any ill-gotten wealth of the Marcos family.

“Iyong pera ninakaw, eh, hanggang ngayon, wala naman silang nakita. Ito kung maniwala kayo, kung hindi, okay lang. Marcos, may kaunting perang naiwan, na-sequester lahat eh, pati iyong sa Switzerland,” Duterte said.

(Their money was stolen until now? They haven't seen anything. It is okay if you believe it or not. But Marcos has a little money left, everyone was sequestered, including the one in Switzerland.)

The former mayor of Davao City said the only son and namesake of the late dictator even hitched a ride with him.

"Alam mo noong kampanya sa senador, nakikisakay lang iyan siya sa akin… Kung saan ako, kung may pera siya noon o wala, magtataka kami," Duterte said.

"Walang pera ito, wala. Simula noon, wala naman... Simple living lang siya, wala siya 'yung sabihin mo talaga,” he added.

(During the campaign for the Senate, he was only riding with me. We didn't know if he had money. He had no money. None. Even before... He lived simply.)

No to coalition

Duterte in a speech in November before PDP-Laban stalwarts ruled out a coalition with her daughter Sara Duterte's Lakas-CMD.

The remarks were in November 2021 when Sara already announced that she was running for vice president as Marcos' running mate.

"No," Duterte said as regards the coalition. "Because andiyan si Marcos, e."

"Hindi ako bilib . He is a weak leader. Totoo yan, di ako naninira, kasi spoiled child, only son," he added.

"He is a weak leader, totoo 'yan, I do not foist lies, masisira ka. Bantay kayo, [baka] magkamali ang Pilipinas," Duterte said.

Marcos loot

The Supreme Court has forfeited in favor of the Philippine government some of the Marcoses' ill-gotten wealth.

It also has ruled that the government could still recover other assets in forfeiture case from where these rulings came.

These rulings forfeited in favor of the Philippine government at least US$658 million in Swiss deposits which Ferdinand and his First Lady Imelda Marcos allegedly stashed under the names of different foundations, more than US$3 million in assets and funds of their alleged dummy company Arelma SA, and a jewelry collection worth more than US$100,000.

The amounts are actually bigger as the figures are based on estimates as far back as 1983 (for the Arelma properties), 1991 (for the Malacañang Collection of jewelry) and 2002 (for the Swiss deposits).

All three decisions maintained that the Marcoses failed to show that these properties were legally acquired.—NB, GMA New